Going for Gold: Toshiro
by Geishaaa
Summary: Toshiro Shiba is a 23 year old up and coming snowboarder from Australia heading to his first ever Winter Olympics. Struggling with the pressure to win a gold medal, Toshiro is thrown when he meets Rukia Kuchiki, champion figure skater from Ireland, who uses her tongue before her words. (HitsuRukia, AU, Correlating fic to LethanWolf's)
1. Prologue: Winter Olympics training in Au

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOSHIRO HITSUGAYA!**

**We are back! LethanWolf and I have collaborated on this new HitsuRuki AU piece! We're very excited as we've been working on this for well over a year now. We'll be updating every few weeks or so because they are HUGE chapters. I am writing from Toshiro's POV and Lethan is writing from Rukia's so please please read both to get the whole picture. Thanks all, enjoy xx**

…

**Going for Gold**

Prologue: Winter Olympics training in Australian Summer?

Up. Down. Up, grab, spin and flip. Down.

Repeat.

That was the basics of it anyway; snowboarding tricks always sounded easier in theory.

"Five more double corks and we'll call it a day," Isshin called from the sidelines, his arms crossed over his chest, frown set deep, and gaze scanning across Toshiro's body for any sign of fault. "Keep spotting your landing."

Toshiro obeyed, knees bending and quads bracing as he sunk into the trampoline and shot back into the air. Twisting his body counter-clockwise and angling himself sideways to flip, Toshiro crouched and grabbed the edge of his training board, just in front of his back foot. He let momentum carry him through four rotations and two flips simultaneously, all the while keeping an eye on that precious point of landing in the centre of the trampoline.

Hitting the target bang on, Toshiro was sprung back up. Keeping his body straight this time to give his brain a second to catch up with his body, Toshiro recalibrated as he dropped down again and bounced back up, throwing himself into the second double cork.

"Good," Isshin praised as Toshiro landed a second time. "Three more."

The white haired snowboarder threw himself into his third double cork, his body spiralling through the air. A cork – short for corkscrew – was a snowboarding favourite. Essentially, it involved spinning or rotating on a horizontal axis while flipping on a vertical axis (two flips for a double-cork, three for a triple and so on). The number of horizontal spins would depend on the trick and would be described by the number of degrees that the body would rotate – 360 for one full rotation, 720 for two full rotations, or as Toshiro was currently practising, four rotations or a 1440. These days it was practically essential to include a double cork in a halfpipe run for an athlete to make the Olympic team.

It was Toshiro's favourite by far. Of course, he generally preferred to perform the trick in the halfpipe as opposed to on a trampoline, but it was February – in _Australia_ – and there wasn't even a speck of snow in sight.

"Remind me again," Toshiro huffed upon landing his fourth double cork flawlessly, "why we decided to come home the week before the Olympics?"

The Olympics – the only thing on Toshiro's mind since he was fifteen. Now, at twenty three, it was finally becoming a reality. One more sleep (and then one other in-flight sleep) and he'd be there – the Winter Olympics at St Moritz, Switzerland. He was entered in two snowboarding events – the halfpipe and the slopestyle, always having preferred trick-based snowboarding over speed-based such as in the snowboard cross events. The halfpipe was his better event, but he still loved the slopestyle too, finding it more akin to his first love, skateboarding.

"Media purposes," Isshin answered, not for first time this week, "and for your sponsors."

"No sponsors, no money," Rangiku sung from where she was stretching on the mats below in nothing but a training bra and tiny gym shorts.

The media and the sponsors – how could Toshiro forget? He couldn't actually, since he'd been doing interviews all week and photoshoots for his brand Quiksilver. Rangiku was sponsored by the sister brand, Roxy, and had been for years now. In fact, it was her sponsorship with Roxy that had landed Toshiro Quiksilver. It made sense – they did the same sport, had the same coach, trained together and were regularly posting pictures of themselves together to their popular Instagram accounts, they might as well be sponsored by the same parent brand and represent the male and female sides of each. They were actually a very cool brand to work with and – upon his request – had partnered with environmental protection groups, using their products to give back to the planet (an issue Toshiro cared about deeply). They were also a crazy brand to work with because they were currently in negotiations with him to take part in skydiving while in Switzerland to promote their new 'live life to the fullest' campaign – to them, this meant extreme activities like jumping out of a plane – and while Toshiro was all for living life to the fullest, he was apprehensive about maybe dying before his finals and never medalling due to an early death.

The media side had been less fun, but publicity was everything leading up to the games. Especially in Australia for the Winter Olympics because otherwise much of the population wouldn't watch – Australians weren't particularly blessed with snowsport talent (largely due from a lack of snow), so they had no real emotional investment in it, unless the media could convince them their athletes were worth rooting for. Despite being an Olympics virgin and still considered an up and coming athlete, Toshiro was going in as one of the favourites to medal after taking bronze at the last two World Championships and finally taking a gold at last month's Winter X Games at Aspen, all in the halfpipe, and also a bronze for the slopestyle at the X Games. Toshiro didn't like being a favourite, not at all; he preferred to slip in under the radar and win when least expected to. It was how he had lived his whole life. Now, going into the Olympics as a top contender, the pressure was well and truly on. He _needed_ to medal.

"Exactly," Isshin agreed before turning back to Toshiro, "One more double cork."

Toshiro sighed before shooting back up and executing another double cork.

It was insanity, as far as he was concerned, to leave the beautiful snow-covered mountains of Canada where he could actually train, to the dry hills of Australia where he was confined to the Thredbo Ski Resort gym for 'air awareness' trampoline training. Air awareness training had its benefits, Toshiro wouldn't deny that, but it was mostly for learning new tricks to build up muscle memory and learning to spot the landing before taking it to the snow where it was far more difficult. It was for the choreographing stage of his runs, not the polishing stage which was where he needed to be if he had any hope of making the podium at the Olympics.

"Good work," Isshin called as Toshiro landed the fifth repeat of the trick. "Come down and stretch now."

Toshiro shook his head quickly.

"I'm not tired," he insisted, continuing to jump on the spot and practice his different twists and grabs. "I can do more corks, or some McTwists maybe? Or-"

"Toshiro," Isshin cut him off. "Stretching. _Now_. Or do I need to remind you what happened this time four years ago?"

"No," Toshiro grumbled – he did not need to be reminded of that right now.

Sighing deeply, Toshiro grudgingly stopped bouncing and hopped off the trampoline, unfastening the straps securing the board to his feet. It was frustrating. Extremely frustrating. They were literally flying to Switzerland tomorrow morning for the Winter Olympics and he was unable to train. In fact, he was as far away from the snow as he could get and he was beginning to get more than a little stir crazy.

Trudging over to Rangiku, Toshiro dropped down beside her with a loud huff and got on with his stretches. She giggled at him and reached over to run her fingers through his hair which he promptly shrugged away. Rangiku didn't care that they were pretty much on vacation the week before the most important events of their careers, of course she didn't; she had been to the last Olympics and walked away with a gold and a silver in the halfpipe and slopestyle events respectively. Not to mention she'd medalled in the halfpipe at the last five Winter X Games and World Championships. She was unstoppable – 'Australia's Golden Girl' – and at twenty five, still had a number of good years ahead of her. Shaun White was thirty one at his last Olympics when he took gold after all. In fact, Toshiro strongly suspected Rangiku was glad to be back to summer having mentioned several times that she was going to tan so she was – quote – 'heaps hot' at the Olympics.

Toshiro, on the other hand, had qualified for the last Olympics too, but a broken rib mere days before they were due to depart had decidedly ended his Olympic dream that year. It had been his own stupid fault too, and he was still yet to forgive himself for it. It put him out of commission for the Olympics, pushed his career advancement back months and left him feeling angry and disappointed with himself, home watching Rangiku taking the gold with their coach Isshin dutifully by her side.

That was the other advantage Rangiku had over Toshiro; she was so carefree and confident – she didn't feel the crippling need to make anyone proud; not their coach, not even her parents.

For Toshiro, it was both.

"Great work today, kids," Isshin came over to where his two athletes were stretching and crouched beside them. "I'm really proud of both of you."

"Thanks Isshin," Rangiku beamed.

"Thanks…" Toshiro murmured, "_Dad_."

_Boy_ was it both for him.

Isshin was not only his coach but his father. He was Toshiro's most favourite person in the whole world. In fact Isshin was the reason Toshiro had started snowboarding in the first place. The man was a former professional snowboarder, originally coming from a skateboarding background, and in his early twenties, had gone to the Winter Olympics himself and taken a bronze medal in the halfpipe.

He was Toshiro's hero.

It was why Toshiro felt such immense pressure to make the man proud. However, no matter how hard Toshiro tried, he always felt like he wasn't doing enough. No matter how often Isshin told him explicitly that he was, in fact, very proud of his son, there was always a voice in the back of Toshiro's mind that said _'he's not proud enough, you can do more, make him prouder'_. It was a terrible thought that clung to him day and night – he had lost sleep over it – and this had been going on his entire life.

Well not his entire life, but since he was very young regardless. Since he'd been four years old, to be precise. Since his mother had died.

"Alright once you're done stretching, hit the showers," Isshin instructed, placing a gentle hand on Toshiro's head as the young snowboarder reached forward to grab his toes. "We'll grab some lunch to take home for everyone and then you can both rest for the afternoon."

"Sweet," Rangiku whistled, leaning back on her elbows and no longer stretching. "I can work on my sun tan, gotta look hot for the games."

Both Toshiro and Isshin rolled their eyes – after all these years, it was a default reaction to most of the things Rangiku said or did.

"I was actually hoping I could go skateboarding later," Toshiro turned towards his father, voice hopeful. "Please, Dad?"

Skateboarding was as close to snowboarding as he could get during summer. Well that and surfing, but they lived far from the beach and he didn't have time to drive out to the coast right now. Unfortunately though, it was skateboarding that had caused him to break one of his ribs last time; he'd fallen on the rail and _onto _the rail, his side taking the brunt of the hit and ultimately cracking his rib.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Son," Isshin frowned. "I don't want you to risk-"

"I know," Toshiro interrupted quickly. "I'll stay off the rails. I just need to get out for a bit and get some fresh air."

He had been feeling restless constantly being indoors over the last few days; he was either at the gym, at home, or at some sponsorship or media do – all of which was indoors. He needed air and sun, and snow ideally, but it looked like he could only hope for two out of three of those right now.

Isshin's eyes softened and he sighed in defeat, causing Toshiro to straighten.

"Fine," Isshin relented, "but full padding, Toshiro, I mean it. Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. No rails, no jumps."

"No fun?" Rangiku interjected but they both ignored her.

Toshiro nodded so hard his neck almost cracked.

"Yes, I'll be safe" he assured quickly. "I promise."

"Good," Isshin murmured, patting Toshiro's shoulder before standing back up and ignoring the cracking in his ageing knees. "Now hit the showers."

Rangiku hopped up and skipped off to the locker room with a flick of her long ginger hair and Toshiro jumped up quickly after her before his father could change his mind about the skateboarding.

"Toshiro, wait," Isshin called, and Toshiro froze.

Had he spoken too soon?

Turning slowly to face his coach and father, Toshiro raised a questioning eyebrow at the man.

The dark haired man seemed to falter in his decision to say whatever it was he was going to say, but after a moment:

"I love you, Son," Isshin shrugged eventually. "I just don't think we say it enough sometimes."

Toshiro stared at the man and blinked – his father literally told him that every day. Well, every day in recent years anyway.

It was a complicated story, and Toshiro didn't like going into it, but the short(ish) version was that his father Isshin – an Australian snowboarder – had met his mother Masaki – a Scottish aerial skier – at the Olympics thirty odd years ago. They fell in love, she moved to Australia, they married and then they'd tried to have kids. 'Tried' being the key word there; Masaki was told by doctors she would be unable to conceive a child, and after careful consideration, the couple had decided to adopt.

Toshiro's older brother Ichigo had been first. Isshin and Masaki had waited two years for a mother to pick them and then were delighted when they had finally gotten the call from the adoption agency. They had been there throughout the pregnancy and even been in the delivery room when Ichigo was born; they were then able to take home their new baby after just a couple of days. It had been an open adoption, meaning Ichigo had grown up knowing who his birth parents were, being able to see them and having a relationship with them.

Toshiro's situation had been different. His birth mother hadn't decided to give him away until he was already born, and it had been such a sudden decision that the adoption agency had scrambled to find a couple to take a newborn on such short notice. Eventually, they had recommended Isshin and Masaki, who were already equipped to take on a baby boy and were looking to adopt again since their first son was now three. At just four days old, Toshiro was given over to the Shiba's. It was a closed adoption this time, meaning he had grown up with no contact or relationship with his biological mother or father. Toshiro found he preferred it though; he didn't want to know who his birth parents were, he didn't need to know – he had parents, and their names were Isshin and Masaki Shiba.

When he was four years old, everything changed. Masaki got pregnant – with twins. After being told she'd never be able to birth kids, it was a huge shock. Despite the risks her doctors laid out, she wanted to take her chances. And she took them. On May 6 at 11.39pm and 11.50pm, Toshiro's younger sisters Yuzu and Karin were born via caesarean. On May 7 at 12.15am, his mother was pronounced dead; Postpartum Haemorrhage.

The months, nay years, that followed had been truly awful. In general, twins were hard enough on two parents, but Isshin had been forced to handle it alone. The now father of four was a barely stable mess, trying to cope with losing his wife and looking after two newborns as well as his two other children who were still rather young. His siblings, Kukaku and Ganju, had given up their jobs and moved back from the city to help. Ichigo, age seven – who had always been glued to his mother's hip – was unable to cope with his grief and began acting out which didn't stop until he was almost nineteen. Toshiro, age four – who had always been glued to his _father's_ hip – didn't understand why his father suddenly had no time for him or why his mother had never come home.

It was a blur, but Toshiro still remembered a lot of it. He remembered when – in his tired state – Isshin had gotten his days mixed up, forgetting to pick him up from pre-school and not realising he was missing until dinner time. He remembered when Ichigo and Isshin had been fighting so much they both forgot his birthday and didn't realise until the next day.

But perhaps the memory that had struck the worst cord in Toshiro's brain was when he five years old. Every night Toshiro would ask his dad to read him a bed time story – most nights since the birth of the twins he was denied because Isshin was busy trying to get the girls down – and one night after Toshiro had been told no, he had thrown a kindergarten-grade tantrum in which he had told Isshin that he must not have loved him as much as his 'real kids', just as he had heard the other kids in his class say. Boy had that not gone over well. Isshin had absolutely lost it.

"_How dare you say that to me?!" _

It had been bad. Isshin had let his pent up grief and frustration, as well as a lack of sleep, get to him. Toshiro, being five, hadn't gauged the severity of his own comment or the sensitivity of the topic. He had been sent to bed without a story, and cried himself to sleep, while his big brother pretended not listen.

It was the exact moment Toshiro decided to make himself less of a burden on his father. He learned to read his own bedtime stories and look after himself (as much as a five year old could, anyway). As he grew older, he closed himself off so he'd never need his father's time or attention. He solved his own problems as they arose and never once asked his father for anything. It wasn't a bitterness thing – it was a love thing. He loved his father more than anything. He just wanted to support Isshin by being a helpful son and giving him once less child to worry about. The biggest reason why they had ended up forgetting his birthday afterwards was because, unlike a normal child, Toshiro hadn't mentioned it coming up at all, and certainly hadn't pointed it out when he realised they'd forgotten.

It was toxic behaviour for a child, but Toshiro still stood by it to this day. He really believed he had helped Isshin by becoming so independent, even if it meant sacrificing their relationship at the time, even if it meant Isshin missing many of his school or sporting events because Toshiro would never tell him about them, or even if it meant keeping his personal triumphs and losses a secret, and even if it meant constantly feeling an overwhelming sense of neglect in the back of his mind. It was an approach he'd chosen _wholeheartedly_, so much so that he had ended up tattooing the word across his ribcage (the first of five tattoos to grace his body). The girls needed their father as infants and young children so Toshiro allowed Isshin to focus on them by taking himself out of the running for his attention. As they got older, Ichigo needed his father more than anything as he came to terms with his grief, and later – his sexuality. Isshin's love and attention had saved Ichigo when he began wandering down a dangerous path of fist fights and binge drinking, especially after his birth family had rejected him when he came out as gay. By the time Isshin had realised how closed off Toshiro had become he was in his final year of high school and it was far too late to change his behaviour.

Toshiro had done the right thing, in his opinion, and now, since the girls were finally adults and Ichigo was emotionally back on track, he was able to make up for lost time, guilt-free. It had taken all of his strength to gather the courage to eventually ask Isshin to coach him, but before he'd even gotten most of the stuttered question out, his father had accepted the job. Now Isshin was his coach and they were closer than they'd ever been. All of his siblings were athletes too but Toshiro was the only one to take up snowboarding like his father. It had been a strategic move, to be honest, picking up his father's sport; he'd just wanted to spend time with his dad now that his siblings were old enough to look after themselves.

Okay so maybe that wasn't the shortest version of his life story.

"Yeah, I love you too, Dad," Toshiro murmured back.

Isshin's eyes swept over him quickly, a slightly strange expression flashing across his face before disappearing just as fast, before he nodded and gestured towards the showers.

"Go shower," he said. "I'll pick up lunch and meet you both at the car in fifteen minutes."

Toshiro nodded and turned, heading towards the showers, feeling his father's eyes on him until he was out of sight.

In the change rooms, Toshiro opened his gym back and took out his towel and the toiletries bag he used when he travelled or trained. He also checked his phone which he instantly regretted – several texts and calls from his ex-girlfriend Momo. He had blocked her on Facebook and Messenger, he'd also blocked her from calling or texting through the normal phone way and also on WhatsApp and Snapchat. The one place he couldn't block her – Instagram. Of course, he had in fact blocked her many times, but she kept creating new accounts and since his profile wasn't on private, she could always follow and message him there. He had since given up blocking her and now was relying on the ignoring, silent treatment tactic, hoping she'd eventually get bored and leave him alone.

** MrsToshiroShiba, 09:54am: **  
_Call me xo_  
_I miss u babe_  
_I know Ur back home _

** MrsToshiroShiba, 12:15pm.**  
_Pls Toshiro, I said im rly sorry, lets just talk about it!_  
_Come over after training? I'll make u lunch?_  
_Y r u ignoring me?_

Why? Because she was a psycho, that's bloody why. Toshiro threw his phone back in his bag a little too aggressively and stalked off to the shower.

He entered the shower cubicle and hung his towel up, as well as he clothes after stripping them off, before turning on the hot water and stepping under the stream. It didn't take long for the anger to subside and the tension to ease of his shoulders. He loved showers, always had; it was the one time he seemed to get any peace and quiet and could be alone with his thoughts. He loved making the water really hot too – it was about the only time he liked the heat as he otherwise lived for winter and the cold. Showers were also one of the few places he could masturbate without Rangiku or his family walking in unexpectedly (although him in the shower rarely stopped Rangiku coming into the bathroom). His dick twitched slightly at the thought of getting off, but Toshiro ignored it – it might have been a couple of months since he'd had sex but he wasn't about to jerk off in a gym shower.

He distracted himself by washing the sweat off his body and out of his hair, before eventually leaving the shower and quickly changing into some fresh clean clothes. Summers in Australia were infamously hot, but thankfully he lived in one of the coldest towns in the country so it was more annoyingly warm than hot. He slipped into his faded blue jeans and just a plain white t-shirt. It was too hot for his usual beanie but he slapped on his old Quiksilver cap and slung a thin hoodie over his arm in case it was cool outside (they were up the mountain now after all). He slipped on the multiple rings he wore on his fingers and his old tattered Vans Old Skools. Sorting out his gym bag quickly, Toshiro slipped it onto his shoulder and walked out to the car.

Isshin was already there with the aforementioned lunch (looked like classic chicken and salad rolls for them), and Yoruichi and Ichigo had also caught up having finished their training too. Ichigo was an aerial skier, just as their mother had been, and he was being trained by Yoruichi who was once their mother's best friend and fellow competitor, and who was also the god mother to all four Shiba children.

"Where's Rangiku?" Isshin asked as Toshiro approached.

"I don't know," Toshiro muttered, shrugging. "Probably taking a hundred bathroom selfies for her gazillions of followers."

"That'd be right," Ichigo rolled his eyes, throwing his skis into the back of their ancient Holden Rodeo Ute.

Despite the lack of snow, Ichigo was still able to train. There was a large ramp he would be able to slide down that could get him the same momentum as the snow ones and would shoot him through the air, allowing him to do his rotations, before landing in a deep swimming pool. It obviously wasn't as great as training in the snow but it still allowed him to practice his tricks and that was far more than Toshiro could do at this point.

Eventually Rangiku returned and the five of them piled into the car, the coaches in the front and the athletes in the back. Toshiro was the smallest so by default he found himself in the middle seat, the two leggy gingers on either side of him. Rangiku handed him one of her earphones as Isshin began to drive them down the mountain. Toshiro leaned against her shoulder as they listened to her 'chill out playlist', her arm wrapping around his shoulders and her fingers slowly dragging through his damp hair. Toshiro hummed contently and very quickly found himself beginning to nod off.

"Tired, Bub?" Rangiku asked softly.

"Nuh, 'm good," Toshiro murmured groggily back, eye lids too heavy to open.

"Sure," giggled Rangiku, her arm tightening around him.

Rangiku was the biggest pain in his ass but she was also his greatest friend, and at times – though no one would ever say it – she was almost a big sister, or even a second mum. That's where 'Bub' had come from; it was actually what Masaki had called him when he was little, and Rangiku had once called everyone that (along with babe, sweetie, honey, etc – a big fan of pet names, she was), but when she had called him that for the first time when he was eleven, he had smiled all day. She eventually bullied the truth out of him, about how he missed being called that, and suddenly he was 'Bub' all the time, and no one else was ever again.

So yeah, he and Rangiku were very close. At first glance people often thought they were dating but that couldn't be further from the truth. They were a million percent platonic, best friends and practically family – they would go to the ends of the Earth for each other but nothing romantic had ever moved them, especially since she was annoying as fuck most of the time. He did love her though, very much indeed.

He must have drifted off completely for the next thing he knew, Rangiku was shaking him awake. Blinking back the sleep, Toshiro looked out the window and recognised his family home. Almost falling out of the car, Toshiro managed to remember his gym bag (after Isshin pressed it into his arms and told him to put it in the laundry), and he mumbled a goodbye to Rangiku who was heading home to her parent's house down the street for a few hours to do some last minute packing and spend time with them before she left for the Olympics in the morning; she was going to stay at Toshiro's overnight in Karin's old bed since they were due to get up earlier than comprehendible tomorrow morning for their first of three flights into Switzerland.

Sluggishly entering the house, Toshiro chucked his bag in the laundry and managed not to trip up the stairs to get to his old bedroom where his skateboard was. He was much more tired than he had anticipated, but sometimes lying awake all night stressing about making his dad proud at the Olympics would do that to a guy, and thankfully, his saviour eventually arrived in the form of a flat white coffee, brought to him by his favourite (read: only) aunt, Kukaku, having returned home from the ice rink. She even remembered to use his Keep Cup, bless her.

Downing the liquid gold in sheer seconds, and grabbing a chicken and salad roll to go, Toshiro waved a hasty goodbye to his father before flying out the door with his skateboard tucked under his arm (plus all the padding his father had demanded in a bag slung over his shoulder), his dog Daisy bounding after him excitedly. He'd had her since she was a puppy, given to him as a gift for his twelfth birthday (the one his family had forgotten initially) and was literally the most beautiful creature on the planet. She was a Blue Heeler, or an Australian cattle dog, which meant she did need a lot of exercise and space to move around, and even in her old age (eleven now) she still loved to run about, chasing birds instead of cows which was exactly what she did when they reached the skate park.

Toshiro strapped on his various padding as per his father's wish but not without a slight frown on his face. He hopped onto his skateboard and began to roll around the skate park at a leisurely pace, and just like the shower had done for him, some more of his stress slowly began to fade away. He truly was most at peace when he was outdoors and gliding around the fresh air on some form of board (snowboard, skateboard, or surfboard – name it and he was there).

It was a beautiful day although a touch hotter than he liked – although anything above zero was hotter than he liked. Despite it being a beautiful day, there was no one else in the park, likely because it was early on a Thursday afternoon and the kids that usually flooded the ramps with their skateboards, roller blades, scooters and bicycles were still in school.

He was thoroughly enjoying the peace though; earphones in, music and not a soul in sight to interrupt him. It was very therapeutic and calming. Even more so was the twenty odd minutes he had spent wandering around the park picking up litter and putting it in the appropriate garbage or recycling bins. Rangiku often made fun of him for it but Toshiro was a bit of an environmentalist so he wasn't going to apologise for trying to make his planet cleaner. He loved the natural outdoors so much he had even gotten a tattoo on the outside of his left forearm of a wave, a pine tree and a mountain, each inside their own black circle. It reminded him that his planet was beautiful and needed to be protected, and as someone who spent so much time outdoors, it was vitally important he did what he could to help. He was actually studying environmental science part time and by distance through one of the Sydney universities so it was highly important to him, not to mention to his sport which relied entirely on snow, an element that was currently faced with the very real and concerning threats of climate change and global warming. In fact, at the current rate, Australia was expected to see a 40% reduction in snow by 2040. It was a terrifying thought.

Shaking it from his mind for the moment, Toshiro continued to swerve around the skate park, steering clear of the rails and being extra cautious with the ramps as he promised. It was nice to get some fresh air and space after being cooped up indoors all week. Toshiro loved his family more than anything but with everyone – bar Karin who was abroad in Germany – home at the same time, the house had seemed extra small.

Normally he and Rangiku flat shared together nearby but since they were only home for a week, they had decided to stay with their parents. Six months of the year they lived in their hometown of Jindabyne, or Jindy as it was nicknamed, training at the nearby Thredbo Ski Resort, and the other six months they lived and trained at Whistler in Canada. In the last two years, Isshin had come with them as the girls were old enough that he was able to leave them at home with Kukaku and Ganju, but previous to this, Rangiku and Toshiro would go without him and Isshin's old friend and fellow halfpipe competitor would take over their training, while Isshin would pop over when he was able to for a week here and there. It had been hard but it was the only way to make it work. Of course, Toshiro and Rangiku weren't completely alone as Ichigo and Yoruichi trained there too.

They had been able to make it work back then but still, Toshiro was glad that Isshin could accompany them now. The whole reason he snowboarded was to spend time with the man after all and that was difficult if they were on opposite sides of the world.

Needless to say, it had been a long time since he'd stayed at his father's house with the entire family home at the same time – he'd forgotten how loud everyone could be. It was no wonder he had been able to slip under Isshin's radar for so many years with a family so loud and extroverted while he was much the opposite.

Speaking of loud, Toshiro's music was suddenly cut off and replaced by the annoying tune of his ringtone that was normally kept on silent. It shocked him so much he almost fell off his skateboard.

Annoyed, Toshiro fished his phone out of his pocket but the annoyance dissolved quickly when he saw the caller I.D.

"Yukio!" Toshiro cried, answering the phone immediately. "How's it going?"

It was a video call. The blond's image appeared on the screen, his hair as messy as usual, sand all through it, bright green eyes contrasting against his sun tanned skin. Behind him, Toshiro recognised the beach that was Yukio's preferred surfing spot and the sounds of waves crashing echoed calmingly in the background.

"G'day mate," Yukio's thick Australian accent came through the line, "Yeah nah, not bad. How's it going in old Jindy?"

Yukio was Toshiro's other best friend. They'd been friends since Toshiro was bumped up two grades in primary school and was sat next to a skinny little blond boy who had also jumped a grade. Eventually they met Rangiku in high school and the three of them became somewhat of a family. After school, as a graduation present to themselves, they had even got matching sun, moon, star tattoos on their ankles. As Rangiku put it, she was 'the star of the group', Yukio was the sun and Toshiro the moon, and while he hated ever admitting when Rangiku was right, he would concede that it did make sense – especially now. Rangiku truly was the star of snowboarding internationally and really did have the sparkling personality to match, Yukio followed the sun around the world to surf and his hair was just as gold – if summer was a person, that person's name was Yukio – and for Toshiro… Well the moon to him represented colours of white and silver which were the colours he namely associated himself, obviously for his hair but also for the snow, an element he identified with much stronger than any other.

The three of them had grown up together with a shared love of skateboarding which had eventually led them down similar paths (or exactly the same, as far as Toshiro and Rangiku were concerned). After school, Yukio had moved to Sydney's Northern Beaches to pursue surfing professionally. He was now internationally ranked and also sponsored by Quiksilver, only the beach side of the brand whereas Toshiro represented the snow side of it. Toshiro and Yukio only got to see each other a couple of times a year now, but each time their friendship always continued on where it had left off – there was never any emotional drifting even if there was geographical drifting.

"Jindy never changes," Toshiro chuckled, flipping his camera around so Yukio could see the same old skate park they'd played on as kids and Daisy barking excitedly at a low flying lorikeet, before flipping it back. "Are you about to go for a surf?"

"Well I'm not here to fuck spiders," Yukio laughed.

That was the other thing about Yukio – ninety percent of everything he said was Australian slang, most of it out-dated or hardly ever used. It had started when he was sixteen and he was voted as their high school's 'Assemblies Prefect'; his job was essentially to MC school assemblies and he began dropping ridiculous Aussie slang into his speeches as a joke and continued with it later to be 'ironic', only now it had developed into a serious part of his vocabulary and eventually he couldn't hold a conversation without it. Thankfully surfing had been his chosen career; Toshiro wasn't sure how the guy would go working in a highly professional corporate environment using expressions like that.

"How's the surf today?" Toshiro asked.

"Yeah nah, it's shit house today," Yukio complained, "and there's too many drongo shark biscuits out there."

"Spewin'," Toshiro added – sometimes he found himself slipping into slang habits when he spoke to Yukio. Sometimes it took him hours to get back out of it and talk like a normal person.

"Nah yeah, she'll be right," Yukio murmured, eyes following the waves past the camera, focus drifting. "Gotta train for South Africa next month."

"Watch out the Great Whites," Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "or you'll have to do a Mick Fanning."

The footage of former surfing world champion Mick Fanning fighting off a shark attack during a competition still haunted people to this day, especially surfers, although it never stopped any of them surfing. Not even Mick. Or Yukio, who only grinned back at the camera with devilish cheekiness.

"Anyway I just called ya to say good luck for the Olympics, make Straya proud, Mate," Yukio continued, winking suggestively. "I hope you get to root some hot sheilas with that big donger of yours."

"You're disgusting," Toshiro laughed. "I'm hanging up now. Catch ya later."

"Hooroo."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and hung up the phone. That kid was incorrigible but Toshiro was thoroughly entertained by him anyway. He made a mental note to organise a Sydney trip once the Olympics were out of the way. He could use some guilt-free relaxation and actual fun in the sun, none of this stress in the sun nonsense that he was currently experiencing. Rangiku would definitely want to come too as she loved a good bikini opportunity.

"Yukio still speaking in slang then?"

Toshiro whipped around at the feminine voice and immediately stepped off his board, hoping to show a bit of attitude in doing so. Momo Hinamori – the crazy ex who messaged him at inconvenient times like when he was stressed about the Olympics – was standing in front of him, beaming in the creepy way that suggested she thought they were still dating.

Daisy – the traitor – sprinted happily towards Momo, wagging her tail madly when the brown haired girl bent down to pat her. Toshiro supposed it wasn't the dog's fault – she didn't know what a psycho Momo had turned out to be.

"What are you doing here, Momo?" Toshiro asked, voice toneless and eyes unforgiving, "I'm training."

"According to your Instagram story, you're picking up litter again," Momo shrugged.

Damn his Instagram. He would have made his account private, but Quiksilver begged him not to. They wanted everyone to see their brand on his rapidly becoming more popular profile and as Rangiku repeatedly reminded him, their Instagram's were the best way to reach out to their fans since no one in Australia used Twitter.

Toshiro sighed and ran his fingers through his messy mop of white hair, the multiple rings on his fingers grazing his scalp lightly.

"I wouldn't have to if people just put their rubbish in the bin in the first place," he muttered, before stepping back onto his board and gliding around the park once again.

Momo didn't move, watching him ride around, not even slightly fazed by his cold shouldering. She shouldn't have been anyway; he'd been giving it to her since they broke up last July.

"You didn't reply to my texts," Momo called out as he rolled past her. "Or answer any of my calls."

When the fuck did Instagram start allowing calls as well as direct messages?

"I didn't want to," Toshiro swerved back and forth between the obstacles. "We broke up remember?"

Sometimes he honestly wondered if she had forgotten given the texts she sometimes sent him, or maybe she had hoped he had somehow forgotten since moving back to Canada and maybe he would come crawling back to her once home. Fat chance.

"We can work through it-"

"Enough, Momo," Toshiro snapped, kicking up the edge of his board and catching it in his hands as he stepped back onto the concrete. "You lied. You broke my heart. We're over. We're never getting back together."

"I only lied because you were starting to drift away from me," Momo argued, standing her ground. "I was doing it to save our relationship."

"You did it because you thought I was cheating on you with Karin," Toshiro glared at her, "_Karin._ She's my fucking sister, Momo."

"Not biologically," Momo muttered, looking away and missing the flinch that pulsed through Toshiro's body, "and you guys are really close! How was I supposed to know?"

"You're insane," Toshiro stared at her, eyes wide.

"I'm protective-"

"Possessive, you mean."

"It was one incident, just let it go."

"It was not one incident," Toshiro barked although the laugh was entirely humourless. "First you thought I was cheating on you with Rangiku and told me I had to choose between you two."

"It's not my fault for assuming that, she is a bit of a slut and you have her name tattooed on your bum."

Ahh yes, the other Rangiku-inspired tattoo and the bane of his love life ever since; her nickname 'Ran' inside a love heart with an arrow through it on his right ass cheek. However, it was the result of a drunken bet gone considerably wrong, not a declaration of love for his most annoying friend.

"And need I mention the whole fake pregnancy thing?" Toshiro continued over her, growing more and more livid. "I almost gave up my career for you. I almost proposed!"

"You did?"

Oh yeah, she hadn't know about that last bit. Toshiro never got to ask her; he'd had the ring in his pocket and everything, but then when a colleague of Momo's had contacted him with the truth, Toshiro couldn't even look at her in the eye anymore, let alone ask her to marry him.

What happened was Toshiro had been thinking of breaking up with Momo after over three years of dating as the girl was only becoming more and more possessive and needy, constantly accusing him of cheating when the thought had never even crossed his mind or asking him to give up friends and snowboarding for her. He'd been about to break it off when one evening, she had presented him with a pregnancy test – one revealing a positive result. His heart had stopped in his chest and his soul had left his body – they had been fairly safe but on more than one occasion, they had slipped up. It was entirely possible. A few days later, she had handed him an ultrasound image of a grape-sized foetus in a womb; her patient details had been included on it – he'd had no reason to suspect it was fake.

It had been fake though. Momo was a nurse, and had convinced her colleague in the maternity ward to change the details on another patient's ultrasound so she could pretend it was her own. Toshiro wasn't sure what she was going to do when it was time for her to start showing, but he never got to find out. Eventually the colleague called him out of guilt and told him the truth.

In short, Toshiro had been broken.

As a child of a closed adoption, Toshiro had, at times, wondered why his birth parents had decided to give him up. He had refused to let his own children feel like they weren't wanted either, so when Momo told him she was pregnant and going to keep it, Toshiro had been prepared to do whatever it took to raise his child in an unbroken family – _Whatever. It. Took._ But apparently it wasn't necessary because Momo hadn't really been pregnant. Needless to say, he had officially broken things off with her very quickly after that.

"It doesn't matter," Toshiro shrugged bitterly, tucking his skateboard under his arm and trudging passed the brown haired girl and onto the grass of the soccer field which he'd have to cross to get home. "Come on, Daisy."

He whistled and the blue heeler sprinted after him, following loyally as her human stomped angrily across the oval, his peaceful mood thoroughly destroyed.

He had not even made it half way home when his phone vibrated to a new Instagram message.

** MrsToshiroShiba, 15:01pm**  
_were not finished, I'll keep fighting for us even if u don't. _

** Toshhiba, 15:02pm**  
_We're*_

He couldn't help it. He was in a horribly sour mood now and it was enough to break his own rule of ignoring her. Unfortunately, like the fool he was, he had taken the bait which led to a flurry of messages coming through from her, and less than a second for Toshiro to block her latest account again. He was almost intrigued to know what insane username she would create for the next one.

Eventually he made it home with just enough bitterness in each step that his family noticed and happily gave him a wide berth. He flopped onto his bed, still wearing the majority of his padding, and popped his earphones back in, blasting some angsty punk rock to match his mood (Boulevard of Broken Dreams, anyone? The live version of course).

A few hours later, Rangiku returned to his home for dinner and was sent up to deal with him.

"You gotta get a restraining order, Bub," she murmured, scrolling through his phone and reading the endless messages Momo had sent him. "It's going too far now."

"She'll get over it," Toshiro grumbled. "Besides, it's not like she's violent or anything, just persistent."

Frowning like she didn't entirely agree but still staying silent, Rangiku locked his phone and laid down beside him, popping her head on his chest and curling into him.

"Fuck Momo," she muttered, a touch of venom in her voice. "Fuck everyone. We're going to the Olympics tomorrow."

Toshiro felt the corner of his lips twitch, wanting to grin, "Yeah we are."

It was amazing what this woman could do to his mood in mere seconds.

"We're gonna sneak alcohol in and party like it 1999," Rangiku announced, voice happier now and rising excitedly.

"That's right," Toshiro chuckled, no longer fighting the grin.

"We're gonna smash our events, break records and take all the medals."

"Obviously."

"We're gonna make our sponsors so happy they'll cry."

"Naturally, with all those medals we've taken."

"And best of all, we're gonna get sooo laid."

"Well, of cour- wait what?"

Toshiro lifted his head to frown at her, which only caused Rangiku to burst out laughing at his bewilderment.

"Remind me to educate you on the Olympics sex culture later," she giggled, sitting up again, "but for now, dinner!"

Still frowning, Toshiro followed her out of his bedroom, dazed, as she skipped ahead of him, totally enjoying his confused state, but eventually the smell of freshly cooked steak distracted him. He entered the dining room to find almost his whole family bustling about getting the dinner table set.

Of course, dinner at the Shiba house that night would be festive. Tomorrow they would all be heading to Switzerland for the Olympic games to support not one but three Shiba athletes, and of course Rangiku and Jinta too who were both practically family now, all five of them representing Team Australia.

"I am so excited!" Yuzu squealed as she bounced around the dining table placing cutlery down, while her boyfriend Jinta followed behind with water glasses. Toshiro jumped in, following him with plates.

Yuzu and Jinta, aged nineteen and twenty respectively, were competing in the pairs figure skating. The blonde twin that was the physical reincarnation of their mother had ended up following Kukaku's path with ice skating. Together, she and Jinta were in with the best chance Australia had ever had in the figure skating having taken gold at last year's Junior World Championships and bronze at the Junior Grand Prix. This would be their first time competing in a senior division but neither of them seemed nervous – just excited to be going.

"Yeah I'm going to get the Olympic rings tattooed on my chest," Jinta grinned, ignoring Kukaku's raised eyebrow as she placed the salad in the middle of the table. "After the gala skate, obviously."

"Oh my god, the gala skate!" Yuzu exclaimed excitedly. "Do you think I'll be able to meet Rukia Kuchiki while we're there? Oh, do you think she'd sign my skates?"

Toshiro smiled at his little sister's excitement. He had no clue who this Rukia was but from context he'd guess she was another figure skater of whom Yuzu was a big fan. Yuzu really was the princess of the Shiba clan; she was beautiful and sweet, innocent and loving, albeit a touch spoiled at times, but she had a wonderful heart and was always smiling.

"Don't worry, Yuu," Ichigo hummed as he entered the dining room and flopped into a chair at the table, but not without kissing his little sis on the forehead on his way. "Renji is good friends with her, I'm sure we can introduce you."

Ah yes, Renji – Ichigo's new Irish boyfriend and fellow aerial skier. They'd been sleeping together for years but only at competitions until finally, at last month's Winter X Games, they both managed to get over their dumb prides and officially date. Toshiro had only met him briefly at the games when he'd been watching Ichigo's event.

Yuzu squealed and jumped on the spot at the news. Toshiro smiled sadly, looking down at the plate he was placing in front of Ichigo.

Yuzu and Ichigo were very close. Yuzu was a daddy's girl, except instead of Isshin's attention, she sought out Ichigo's. Ichigo, reminded of their mother whenever he looked at her, had been in love from the moment he saw her. In his mind, she could do no wrong. He was very protective of her, and hated Jinta with a passion but managed to keep his remarks out of the redhead punk's earshot, minus the few times Ichigo had threatened to run him through with his ski poles if he ever hurt Yuzu in any way.

Toshiro adored the relationship Yuzu and Ichigo held, he really did, but it made him sad that he wasn't as close to either of them like that. Yuzu seemed to only really come to him when she needed something, and Toshiro, who had a soft spot for his sweet little sister, could never say no, even if the task was ridiculous, like driving her twelve hours to Sydney and back to pick up a new skating costume when they could have just waited two or three days for it to be mailed.

Toshiro's relationship with his brother was even more complicated. They got along fine, but after years of strain between them, their relationship now was pretty impersonal. They never really hung out except in the context of family activities. The boys would sometimes laugh and make jokes when they were together (mostly at Rangiku's expense), but their relationship was nothing like when they had been young. Before their mother's death, they had practically been inseparable. After her death, Ichigo had pushed everyone away, including Toshiro. Toshiro too had closed himself off. After skipping two grades of school, Toshiro had wound up in the year below his brother, much to Ichigo's chagrin and it wasn't helped by the school continually suggesting Toshiro skip a third grade to be_ in_ his brother's year. Oh no, that would have been a disaster. To make matters worse, Toshiro had been popular at school and had even been made School Captain with Rangiku as his Vice Captain, while Ichigo steadily became more of a loner by pushing his friends away. Moreover, Toshiro and Ichigo had shared a bedroom from the time Toshiro was a baby until Ichigo moved out to the granny flat behind the house at eighteen after school, leading to several clashes as adolescence began to set in. Now, their relationship was more akin to acquaintances who only tolerated each other due to mutual family.

"Oh will I finally get to meet the famous Renji then?" Isshin asked, placing a large tray of grilled steak (lean, obviously) on the table and taking a seat opposite his ginger haired son.

"Easy, old man," Ichigo grinned. "I'll introduce you when you promise to behave, and by behave I mean no 'testing his reflexes' or whatever."

"I would never," Isshin responded with mock offense in a way that told them it was entirely something he was going to do.

"You would too," Yoruichi laughed as she placed the water jugs on the table and sat next to her athlete. "Just don't hit his face, he's actually very good looking."

"Fuckin' oath," Ichigo grunted, helping himself to dinner as eventually the rest of the family made their way in and found a spot at the table.

Isshin and Ichigo's relationship gave Toshiro hope that maybe one day he and his brother would be close again. As a young child, Ichigo had always been a mama's boy and made a point of letting everyone know that. During his rebellious teenage years, the father and his eldest son were fighting almost every minute of the day – Ichigo believing no one understood his pain and acting out, Isshin trying to rein him in with strict rules and feeling at his wits end dealing with it. But after Ichigo had finally admitted to being gay, subsequently losing the relationship with his birth family, and at last expressing his grief for Masaki in a healthy way – Ichigo realised who was really there for him in the end and now he and Isshin were as close as anything.

Toshiro was extremely jealous of their close relationship, not that he'd admit that verbally.

"Look who I have on Skype, you guys," Rangiku sung as she skipped into the room, holding her laptop and placing it at the head of the table.

"Karin!" the room cheered as the image of the dark haired twin appeared on the screen.

"Guten tag, meine Familie!" Karin greeted. "Wie gehts?"

While his relationships with Ichigo and Yuzu weren't as close as he'd like, his relationship with Karin was amazing. She was currently living in Berlin, playing soccer for one of the German women's teams. She was the spitting image of Kukaku, carrying all the Shiba physical traits. Black hair, high cheek bones, strong jaw. Toshiro believed if she cut off all her hair she would look like a younger pre-pubescent Isshin. He and Karin got along like a house on fire, mostly because she was so much like their father's side of the family. She definitely took a lot of their uncle Ganju's personality; she was blunt, sarcastic, and most importantly, she saw through all of Toshiro's bullshit. She was the one person in the family that could decode his mood even when he put on a happy face. She was the one person in the family able to beat the truth out of him (not literally) when he closed himself off. Karin was genuine and down to earth; she didn't take shit from anyone which often led to a number of fights with Ichigo, but despite her general 'no fucks given' demeanour, no one cared more about their siblings than Karin did.

The close relationship between her and Toshiro rivalled that of Ichigo and Yuzu's, and made Toshiro feel better about not being as close to his other siblings as he'd like. Karin was always up for hanging out with him, usually on the soccer field. Another athlete, Karin was determined to make it onto the Australian national women's soccer team, the Matildas, by the time she was twenty two, which meant she had three years to get there.

"We have no idea what you're saying," Ganju grunted from the other end of the table.

"Neither do I, to be honest," Karin grinned. "Everyone here speaks English."

It was morning there so she was currently eating a bowl of cereal while the rest of her family sat eating dinner on the other side of the world.

"Now Karin our flight gets in at 12:30 midday, Swiss time" Isshin announced, dad mode activating. "What time are you arriving?"

"My flight gets in at eleven," Karin answered. "I'll get a coffee and wait for your flight to land."

Karin was the only Shiba child not participating in the Winter Olympics due to her chosen sport of soccer, but as she was only next door in Germany, she would be coming to watch. Isshin had even snuck her a coaching assistant badge so she would be able to stay in the Olympic Village with them.

"Perfect," Isshin nodded. "I will forward you the email copy of our flight information so you know which gate to meet us at."

"Forty Australian athletes plus coaches?" Karin laughed. "Dad, I don't think I'll miss you guys. Australians aren't really known for their quietness."

"She will be fine," Kukaku agreed with a chuckle, "and the kids have that group text thing, they'll be able to communicate."

The Shiba family group chat – a WhatsApp group, currently just called 'Team Shiba' – was rarely used, except when Ichigo couldn't find his car keys again or when Yuzu had a question about how to use the dishwasher, and the odd time when Karin was drunk after being at a Berlin nightclub and would send them a selfie of her eating currywurst on the U-bahn home.

Despite the obvious rifts amongst the sibling relationships, mostly between Toshiro and Ichigo and Karin and Ichigo, there were the odd moments when all four of them would come together and be close, even just for a moment. Mother's day was one of them and Masaki's birthday was another; on these days, Isshin and his four children would visit Masaki's grave and have a picnic in her honour (they never did it on the anniversary of her death because it was too close to the twins' birthdays and nobody wanted to draw the obvious link between the two consecutive dates). Also whenever any of them had a serious crisis, such as when Ichigo's birth family had officially rejected him, the siblings would always drop whatever they had going on and be there. They also all had matching tattoos that they had gotten when the girls had turned eighteen; a snowflake, each unique (as with real snowflakes) and on different parts of their bodies, for their mother and her love of the snow and winter. Ichigo had gotten his on his chest, right over his heart (draw the obvious symbolism there), Yuzu had gotten hers on her ankle so it wouldn't be seen during her performances, Karin got hers on her ribcage and Toshiro had gotten his on the inside of his right forearm, right near the elbow crease. He had never told any of them why he had chosen that spot, but it had been because in the first memory he could ever recall, he had been a baby lying in Masaki's arms, and the tattoo on his arm was exactly where his head would have been in her arms.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Karin assured. "There will be Wi-Fi at the airport so we will be able to contact each other."

"Okay, but make sure you do connect to that Wi-Fi then," Isshin told her before turning back to the rest of the table. "You kids too, connect the second we land."

They all grumbled an agreement, most of them busy shoving food in their months; in such a big family, the rule was generally 'eat quickly or miss out'.

Toshiro glanced up at the screen, catching Karin's eye for a moment. She grinned and winked at him, rolling her eyes a little. He had seen her briefly over Christmas when they had all returned to Australia for the week, but other than that, he hadn't hung out with her since she had left last April. Gods, he missed her.

"Well I gotta go to training," Karin groaned eventually, twisting in her chair and cracking her spine. "I'll see you all soon!"

A chorus of goodbyes broke out over the table before the dark haired twin waved and the screen went black as she hung up.

The rest of dinner was pretty quiet after that. Ichigo was constantly trying to text someone – pressumedly Renji – and was continually being told 'no phones at the table!' by Isshin. Yuzu had moved on to complaining to Kukaku and Jinta that she 'still hadn't landed the triple Lutz'. Rangiku and Yoruichi made loud, boisterous plans to 'hang a sock on the door' if they brought someone back to their room, while Ganju kept shaking his head and muttering that he couldn't wait to have the house to himself for once (he was the only Shiba not coming to the Olympics tomorrow). Toshiro sat quietly as he always did, secretly feeding Daisy under the table, wanting very much to contribute to the excitable conversation but feeling his walls closing tighter around him as the stress sunk in further with every mention of the Olympics.

Isshin was strict about dinner table etiquette so no one was allowed to leave until he excused them, and even then everyone had to help clear the table and clean the kitchen. Toshiro was up the moment he was able, taking his plate and as many others as he could carry, rinsing them and loading them into the dishwasher. He stuck around long enough to make sure the kitchen and dining area were sufficiently tidy before slipping off to his room, ignoring the squabble that was about to break out between Yuzu and Jinta over whether they should watch 'I, Tonya' again or 'Cool Runnings' for the millionth time. As he flew up the stairs in quick, silent steps, Toshiro mumbled a quiet "Night, Mum" to the life size poster of Masaki that Isshin kept at top of the landing (he'd kept it there so the girls would grow up knowing what she looked like, as if the hundreds of other photos around the house didn't already do it).

Daisy followed him into his bedroom and jumped onto his bed before he'd even made it through the door. He wasn't supposed to have her in his room, let alone on his bed, but that was a rule he'd broken a million times.

Toshiro quickly changed out of his jeans and into a pair of comfortable old soccer shorts, before climbing onto the bed himself and sitting up against the headboard. He reached over to unlatch the window and push the glass screen across, leaning into the cool night breeze that began to infiltrate the room. Toshiro's childhood room was not his favourite place, having been burned with memories of walking on glass trying to not upset Ichigo during their teen years. Even now, with Ichigo long moved out into the granny flat behind the house, Toshiro felt like nothing had changed. His old single bed still sat on the other side of the room (which apparently was where Jinta would be sleeping tonight), and Toshiro now slept in Ichigo's old double, with the most of the items around the room being Ichigo's old things.

Toshiro sighed, staring out the window at the Jindabyne summer sunset and scratching behind Daisy's ears as she lay down and put her head in his lap.

"Good girl," he murmured to her, patting the top of her head.

The colours of the sky were beautiful – deep pinks and oranges, with the few clouds in the sky seeming a dark purple. Toshiro really did love home, even though he still wished he was at Whistler.

Sighing, Toshiro leaned back over to his bedside table and pulled his book out of the top drawer.

He ran his fingers over the front cover gently, his mother's beautiful face smiling up at him.

'Going for Gold, by Masaki Kurosaki' – her autobiography.

She had written it after marrying Isshin and changing her name but for the sake of her fans, she had published under her maiden name which was more well-known, particularly in her home country. Toshiro had been two years old when it was released and only a baby as she had been writing it. There was even a chapter near the end simply called 'Toshiro' about him joining the family (also a chapter before that called 'Ichigo' which was about the first adoption process they went through).

He must have read it a million times, and listened to the audiobook a million more (it was her voice on the recording); it was his favourite book in the world. Most of it was about her life leading up to the Olympics – her strict parents and coaches, her struggle with balancing her sport, home-schooling and social life – and then, of course, Masaki's take on the Winter Olympics where she won gold and fell in love with a rough small-town Aussie snowboarder. She covered their wedding briefly, and her move to Australia, then finally overcoming her conception issues through adopting two baby boys. Masaki had written the book then because, in her mind, her life was complete; she'd done everything she had wanted to do – a successful athletic career, falling in love, and having children.

Settling back against the pillows, Toshiro found his bookmark and opened to where he was last at. The chapter was titled 'Isshin' and Toshiro found himself smiling softly; this was by far is favourite part of her story. He had been reading it to prepare himself for his own Olympics – so he could feel like he was taking the journey with her – but of all the Olympics stuff she had talked about, the part about her falling in love with his dad was the most powerful part for him.

'_I had been training for the Olympic games since I was twelve years old, but after years and years of training still nothing could have prepared me for meeting Isshin Shiba. It was truly love at first sight.'_

Toshiro grinned and continued reading. He knew the story like the back of his hand but always got a thrill out of reading it again.

They had met at a snowboard cross event, both of them turning up to cheer for a mutual friend, Irish athlete Kisuke Urahara, and – as his mother had said – it was love at first sight. It wasn't without its' fair share of drama and difficulty though for when Masaki's strict and very posh parents found out she was seeing a trashy snowboarder – Australian too – they had immediately stepped in and forced them apart. Masaki had been ordered to break up with him, and for the sake of her parents, she did exactly that. Isshin, however, was not prepared to go down without a fight.

A knock at the door broke Toshiro's concentration. He glanced up and saw the man of the hour ducking his head through the door.

"Can I come in?" Isshin asked.

Toshiro nodded and the father of four entered the room, shuffling over to Toshiro's bed and sitting by the young snowboarder's legs, only throwing the dog in his lap a mildly disapproving glance.

"What are you reading?" Isshin started as he seemed to make himself comfortable and Toshiro sighed internally knowing they were heading for another of Isshin's attempted heart-to-hearts in which Toshiro would try to open up but end up remaining entirely closed off.

Holding the book up so his father could see the front cover, Isshin smiled.

"My favourite book," he murmured. "Are you reading about her going to the Olympics?"

"I'm up to the bit where you surprise her at her event," Toshiro felt the corner of his lips tug up involuntarily. "She's about to win the gold."

After having been forced apart, Masaki was devastated. She – like Toshiro actually – was one to let her emotions get in the way of her sport and was messing up each and every one of her training jumps in the lead up to her finals. Isshin, on the other hand, had been plotting, refusing to give up on the girl of his dreams. He turned up to her finals event with all of the British and Australian athletes, plus the odd Irish friend, all of them dressed in her colours, bearing the Saltire flag of Scotland (not the Union Jack), with mini flags painted on their cheeks. It had been such a powerful gesture, that Masaki had literally ran and jumped into Isshin's arms, her parents' seeing their love up close and deciding to support them. She had been so ecstatic that her final run had been so flawless, she not only took the gold but also the women's Olympic record, something she still held to this day (although at each of the Olympics following, new athletes got scarily closer and closer to breaking it).

"One of the best days of my life," Isshin breathed, placing a hand on Toshiro's shin, "just behind marrying her and getting to meet all my children for the first time."

Toshiro nodded in vague agreement, but looked back down to the book. If Masaki had known that she was going to die so young, would she have followed that same path? If she had known she would eventually conceive and birth biological children, would she have bothered adopting him?

"What are you thinking?" Isshin asked, and Toshiro could feel his eyes boring into him.

Toshiro shrugged, "Just that I really hope I can make the podium, like both of you. I hate not being able to train."

It wasn't what he had been thinking about when asked but it still wasn't a lie.

"We don't use the word 'hate', Toshiro," Isshin reminded him sternly.

"Fine," Toshiro shrugged, "I _really dislike_ not being able to train."

"I know it's frustrating to be here when we could still be training at Whistler," Isshin mumbled, sliding closer, "but I don't want you to put too much pressure on yourself. You're a brilliant snowboarder and you've got very strong tricks in your arsenal. You're more than capable of medalling but that's not what I want you to worry about. It's a great couple of weeks – make the most of it and have a little fun."

"Fun?" Toshiro frowned. Truth be told, Toshiro considered himself a fun guy – he liked parties and social drinking, getting tattoos, meeting new people and doing adventurous outdoor activities, but there was a time and place for it and the Olympics didn't seem like either of those things. He had medals to win and a father/coach to make proud. Fun wasn't on the agenda, just hard-core training.

"Trust me," Isshin smiled. "It might even help your performance because you won't be so pent up with all this stress."

"I'm not stressed," Toshiro said defensively, knowing full well how badly his performances could be when affected by his shitty emotions.

"Your whole body just tensed," Isshin sighed, shifting closer again and squeezing Toshiro's tight shoulders to make his point.

Attempting to make his muscles relax, Toshiro only ended up tensing them further. Seeing his dilemma, and with another deep sigh, Isshin closed the gap between them and pulled Toshiro into one of the warm bear hugs he was so famous for. Instantly melting, Toshiro's body relaxed into the hold. His favourite place in the world – other than home (during winter) – was in his dad's arms. It was embarrassing to admit it now as an adult but it was true. He'd lost so much time there as a child that it only made him needier for it now – although he'd rather die than say that out loud (Rangiku's voice was whispering about toxic masculinity in his head but he was able to ignore it).

"The Olympics was one of the greatest times of my life," Isshin told him softly, "but the memories I treasure most from it weren't to do with competing or winning the bronze."

"Was it meeting Mum?" Toshiro guessed, voice low.

"That's right," Isshin murmured, twisting his head to rest his cheek on Toshiro's snow-topped crown, "and making friends with the other athletes, going to their events and cheering them on. It's a not just a competition, it's a community."

Staying silent, Toshiro closed his eyes and took in his father's words. He supposed the man was right – he did want to have fun at the games and meet people instead of being holed up in his room stressed out of his mind. It would be hard though, given the snowboarding finals were scheduled as some of the last events to take place. He wished he could get them done early and then be able to treat the second week as a fun holiday, but alas, no such luck.

"I'll try and have fun," Toshiro grumbled eventually. "You know Ran will be on my case about it anyway."

"I do," Isshin replied, a smile in his voice. "Just don't let her talk you into any more tattoos."

"You have six!" Toshiro exclaimed, grinning as he pulled out of his father's hold, "I only have five, I think I can afford one more before you can start to judge."

Isshin had the best part of a sleeve going on, for goodness sake! Not to mention the other tattoos littering his body from his youth.

"Yeah, yeah," Isshin rolled his eyes. "I'm a dad, and I can judge my kids whenever I want."

Toshiro sent him a playful glare, which had Isshin ruffling his messy hair.

"Alright, Kid," Isshin squeezed Toshiro's shoulder. "The movie is wrapping up downstairs so Jinta will be up in a moment. Best you all get an early night's sleep. The cars are already packed; I will wake everyone up at four and then you guys can sleep in the car until we get to the airport."

"Sounds good," Toshiro nodded, feeling his nervousness coil tightly in his stomach and knowing already that he wouldn't sleep tonight or on the way to the airport.

Isshin stood, leaning over to kiss Toshiro's forehead briefly, before turning and walking to the door. The older man paused under the threshold before turning back with a slight frown on his face.

"What do you mean five tattoos?" he narrowed his eyes. "I only know about four."

The grin Toshiro sent his father was wicked.

"Trust me, Dad," he drawled. "You absolutely do not want to know about the fifth one."

The fifth one being Rangiku's name on his ass.

Isshin seemed to frown deeper at that, apparently torn between wanting to know and not wanting know. The latter seemed to win out eventually and the ageing father sighed deeply once more.

"Good night, Son," Isshin murmured. "I love you."

"I love you too," Toshiro said quickly, glad to have avoided the tattoo discussion.

The man then left the room and for a moment Toshiro thought he might have forgotten about the illegal stowaway canine in his bed but a gruff call of "Daisy!" from midway down the stairs had the old Blue Heeler reluctantly pushing herself out of Toshiro's lap and jumping down from the bed, following the old man out the door. Toshiro missed her warmth instantly but was surprised he'd even had her in his room for that long.

Settling back down against his pillows and holding the book up, Toshiro allowed himself to get sucked back into his mother's story, the anxiety about the Olympics in his stomach settling for a moment. Her writing was beautiful and the story itself hit him more with his father's most recent words of advice still echoing in his mind. They really did have fun at the games; they went to parties and made friends with athletes from other countries and other sports. At one point, they had even had an all-out snowball fight against the other teams. They had even both found love. Maybe that was what Toshiro should be trying to do once he arrived in Switzerland; not falling in love (although he missed it) but just trying to have a good time. It was what his mother would have wanted for him; it was what his father had explicitly stated he wanted for him, so why not give it a go?

There was a good chance that his father was right too, about his performance on the slopes likely benefiting from a bit of stress-free fun. Toshiro was also a hundred percent correct in saying that Rangiku would force fun down his throat anyway, and if Toshiro had learned one thing from his years of friendship with her, it was to go with the flow.

Nodding decidedly, Toshiro snapped his book shut and placed it on his bedside table so he wouldn't forget it in the morning. He would try his best to have fun at the games and enjoy the 'community' feel. He would also train harder than ever and smash both of his events.

He was going for gold, after all.

…

** QuiksilverAU**  
_Wishing our main man Toshhiba good luck at the Winter Olympics! #TeamAustralia flies out tomorrow! (snowflake)_  
**Liked by RoxyAU and 19,720 others.**  
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** RoxyAU**  
_St Moritz won't know what's hit them, especially when our golden girl RangikuMatsumoto touches down! #TeamAustralia (green heart) (yellow heart)_

** YukioHanSurf**  
_My snow munchkins will kill it! Mad as a cut snake that I can't go (sobbing face)_

** Halfpipehotties**  
_Omg Toshiro Shiba have my babies pls (heart eyes)_

** SwagItMatsumoto**  
_Can't wait to see Queen Ran on the podium, she is literally BAE (raised hands)_

** Boarder06**  
_After that #XGames performance, Toshiro will take another gold for sure_

** SweetAsBro**  
_** Boarder06**__ he won't beat IkkakuMadarame again, our boy's been working hard #TeamNZ_

** Boarder06**  
_** SweetAsBro**__ you're dreamin'm8 #TeamAustralia_


	2. Gurl, Dat Ass

**YYEEEEEWWW WE ARE BACK WITH THE FIRST OFFICIAL CHAPTER OF THIS STORY AND IT'S TIME TO HIT THE OLYMPIC GAMES!**

**Please read both mine and Lethan's side of the story to get the full picture, there's a lot happening on each end. As we all know, every story has two sides ;)**

…

**The Sydney Morning Herald**

_Shiba Siblings Set for Switzerland's Sharp Slopes_

Forty Australian athletes will step out into the arena tonight to represent the country in the opening ceremony of this year's Winter Olympic Games to be held at St Moritz, Switzerland. Amongst them, Ichigo, Toshiro and Yuzu Shiba, sibling athletes who will walk together as three of the country's top hopes for medals, led by close family friend and Australian's Golden Girl, flagbearer Rangiku Matsumoto.

The Shiba siblings are the biological and adopted children of Australian halfpipe snowboarder and Olympic bronze medallist, Isshin Shiba, and the late Scottish aerial skier and Olympic gold medallist, Masaki Shiba (née Kurosaki), the two famously falling in love at the Oslo Winter Olympics thirty years ago. The siblings are also the nephews and niece of Isshin's sister, Kukaku Shiba, a former Australian Olympic pairs figure skater, and they are the God children of Yoruichi Shihoin, another of Britain's top aerial skiers.

Ichigo Shiba, 26, following in his adoptive mother's footsteps, will represent Australia for the second time at the Winter Olympics as an aerial skier, coached by Shihoin. After not making the podium at the last games, Ichigo has said to have higher hopes for this year after taking silver at last month's Winter X Games.

Toshiro Shiba, 23, represents Australia for the first time this year in both the halfpipe and slopestyle snowboarding events. He is coached by his adoptive father and trains alongside his best friend, halfpipe World Champion Rangiku Matsumoto. Although this will be his first Olympics, he also qualified for the games four years ago but a broken rib from a skateboarding accident the week before left him unable to attend. Toshiro is a favourite to medal after taking gold at last month's Winter X Games.

Yuzu Shiba, 19, takes after her biological aunt (and coach) in the pairs skating, partnering with boyfriend, Jinta Hanakari. The two of them will be stepping up into their first senior division this year after winning gold medals at last year's Junior World Championships.

Today, the Shiba siblings and the rest of the Australian athletes will fly into Switzerland on a Qantas flight, with a brief stopover at Dubai. The three siblings will be accompanied to the games by their father, aunt, and God mother as well as their sister, Karin, who is the twin of Yuzu. The opening ceremony will be aired live on Channel 7 at 5am tomorrow morning AEST and then again at 7pm that night.

"They didn't even talk about me," Rangiku exclaimed, entirely appalled as she finished reading the article on her phone. "Can you believe?"

"They mentioned your name twice," Toshiro reminded her as they walked towards the airport gate having collected their bags and made it through security without incident. "Besides the article wasn't about you."

Toshiro kept his voice passive and level, but felt the sharp slicing pain of the 'adoptive' word knife carving right through his heart. Why was it necessary to even mention that? Why were he and Ichigo always referred to as 'the_ adopted _children' and Yuzu and Karin got to be 'the _biological _children'? The journalist might as well used the words _'real'_ for the twins, and _'not real'_ for the boys. It stung because it meant they were different. It meant they were less their parent's children than the girls were. It meant they could be loved _less._

"I am shocked," Rangiku continued, still putting on her diva act and not noticing Toshiro's uncomfortable shift. "I am personally offended."

Toshiro shrugged, internalising his emotions as usual and letting it sit in the back of his mind with all his other family issues, "I think you're still the most popular, don't worry."

"Aw thanks, Bub," Rangiku perked up again, flicking her hair over her shoulder and giggling at Toshiro's suffering eye roll.

It was mostly an act, that diva side of her. Rangiku was a lot more down to Earth and sweet than most people expected, but she was often perceived to be a certain way due to her looks, talent and outgoing personality, not to mention the modelling she did for Roxy's swimsuit line, so sometimes she liked to play into that stereotype for her own humour and enjoyment. Mostly she was just bubbly and confident with herself, albeit super dramatic at times.

Just before they entered through the gate, Rangiku paused to check her reflection in her selfie camera, straightening her new team jacket – they were white this year, and thankfully not the confronting bright yellow Australian athletes were normally forced into (their colours were green and 'gold' to represent the green of the nation's coastlines that hugged the golden centre of the desert, as shown on an aerial picture of the country, but the gold was generally represented by a hideous yellow). She then turned to him and started to comb her fingers through his hair and roll up his sleeves.

"What are you doing?" Toshiro asked, trying to snake out of her quick hands.

"Could be media out there," Rangiku answered. "We gotta look hot, not like we've been travelling for thirty hours."

Toshiro rolled his eyes again but knew better than to fight it. She rolled the sleeves of his jacket midway up his forearms, exposing both his environmental tattoo and the Tag Heuer watch that had been a gift from Yukio.

She stood back, folding her arms across her chest and running a scrutinizing eye over his body.

"Good stuff," she murmured, nodding her head a little. "It's a shame these uniforms don't show off our bodies very well."

Toshiro saved rolling his eyes for a third time in just a few minutes and instead just walked away, leaving her to scramble after him. His family were way ahead now but they caught up pretty quickly, exiting the arrivals gate. There were a couple of photographers pacing back and forth and a news reporter talking to a camera a few metres away but nothing as intense as Rangiku had hoped; they were obviously just there to cover the different teams arriving, not looking at 'who wore the uniform best' or 'top ten airport looks'.

Distracted by them, Toshiro almost missed the half a second warning of his name being shouted out before a dark haired cannon ball was launched at him. Toshiro caught Karin fine but stumbled back with the force of her attack, Rangiku steadying him with a hand on his back.

"Karin!" Toshiro wheezed, the air having been knocked out of his lungs.

"Hallo Bruder!" she exclaimed in German, tightening her arms around his neck, her legs already wrapped firmly around his waist. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too," he rasped. "Almost as much as I miss breathing right now."

His sister laughed but released her grip on him anyway. Back on solid ground, Karin hugged him again, gently this time, and Toshiro wrapped his arms around her shoulders, happy to have her close again. She hunched a little into him, lowering herself just enough that he could prop his chin on top of her head. Toshiro wasn't a tall guy, coming to only around 5'5'', but thankfully the twins remained just shorter than him by about two inches.

"I'm glad you're here," he mumbled, taking in her familiar scent of apple shampoo and bitter black coffee. "Thank you for coming."

"I wouldn't miss it," she replied and he heard the smile in her voice.

He was one of the few people she ever showed her soft side too, and Toshiro loved that. He gave her shoulders a little squeeze before releasing her.

Isshin called after them and they hurried to catch up to everyone as they exited out the main arrivals door to where a shuttle bus was waiting for them. The cold air hit him with brutal force and while much of his family began to shiver, Toshiro embraced the cold, breathing it in deeply and exhaling slowly. _Finally_ back to winter. This is what he needed, this is what he had been craving all week; fresh air laced with nothing but icy moisture. Toshiro almost moaned at how good it felt, pulling his yellow team beanie out of his pocket and pulling it over his white locks – the yellow had an appearance in the uniforms after all.

Between all of the Australian coaches and athletes, there were just over sixty of them; it took several minutes for everyone to get their suitcases and equipment bags into the storage compartment under the bus or in the attached trailer, and when they were ready to go, they filled up the entire coach. It was a loud bus trip but thankfully a relatively short one.

"Oi check it out," Rangiku hissed in his ear from the seat behind him, pointing out the window.

Giant high rise buildings marked the spot of the Olympic village and to the side of them a range of large mountains which would be the place of the mountain events including his snowboarding. As the bus passed through the gates and into the village, Toshiro's breath caught; there stood the five Olympic Rings in all their glory; they were huge and held up by metal pillars that were easily taller than him. The rings were the Hollywood sign of the international sporting world; the symbol of his greatest ambition.

"Do you think we can climb up on those?" Rangiku asked behind him, pointing to the rings.

Toshiro shrugged, "I can't see anything stopping us."

The rings weren't fenced off and there were no security guards minding them. Of course, the Olympic planning committee probably didn't think their athletes were going to be immature enough to climb on their beloved symbol.

"Fuck yes!" Rangiku grinned. "Let's check it out once we put our stuff in our rooms."

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Despite the crippling anxiety and stress he had felt back home prior to leaving for the games, Toshiro was now starting to feel rather excited. He was here; he had made it and that was the hardest step. No one was able to start training today so he could relax without the guilt of knowing he should be doing something to prepare for his heats. His father's words from the other night telling him to have fun while he was here played on repeat in his mind. It was easier now to consider having fun with the upbeat atmosphere around him and the sense of community already starting to settle amongst the Aussie athletes, even the ones he had never met before. Everyone was happy and excited and Toshiro was too.

The bus parked and the Australian athletes bounced excitedly off. The unloading process took some time as expected, but eventually all the identical black suitcases with matching Team Australia boxing kangaroo bag tags were differentiated and returned to their correct owners. Staff were on hand and were immediately helping to carry suitcases and equipment while the coaches got everyone checked in.

"Team Shiba, gather up!" Isshin called, voice booming over the other coaches as they all tried to find their athletes.

The Shiba family, extending to Rangiku, Jinta and Yoruichi, quickly closed in around the family patriarch who began handing out room keys.

"We're all in that hotel over there," Isshin said pointing to one of the tall buildings. "Level seven."

Toshiro and Ichigo were roomed together once again, both of them managing to silence their groans but only just. Apparently fifteen years of room sharing hadn't been long enough because Isshin seemed to put them together at every single competition they went to. At least they had an unspoken set of rules going now; Ichigo always got the bed closest to the window, Toshiro always got the bed closest to the exit. A 'do not disturb' sign was placed on the door if they were with someone (mostly just Ichigo with Renji). Music was to be listened to with earphones in, phone calls taken in the hallway, suitcases kept orderly and any mess would stay behind the imaginary line they drew between each other's sides of the room. There was to be no excessive talking, turning over in bed or breathing. Even the bathroom routine was sorted and as equally rigid.

It was a very stressful way to live, but luckily Toshiro had mastered the art of silent living as a child. He could probably run a seminar on it.

The twins were roomed together, while Jinta was to be roomed separately with another Australian athlete (Steve, speed skater from Brisbane with frosted tips in his hair and a soul patch) – Toshiro was glad Yuzu and Jinta were still not allowed to room together; as far as he was concerned, Yuzu was still innocent and would remain that way (if she wanted kids she could adopt like their parents had done – the nice, sex-free way to have children).

Rangiku and Yoruichi were roomed together which seemed like a recipe for disaster, even Isshin seemed to hesitate handing over the keys to the two feisty, trouble-making ladies. The women in question were cheering loudly and then, to everyone's horror:

"Booby touch!" they both sung before simultaneously pressing their large chests together. It was if they were high fiving… but with their breasts.

Yuzu blushed and covered Jinta's eyes, Ichigo looked confused, Karin almost drooled, Kukaku laughed, Isshin turned away shaking his head and Toshiro just blinked at them, unfazed after all these years of seeing those two together.

"I am going to regret rooming them together," Isshin muttered to himself before eventually turning to Kukaku. "And that leaves you with me, Sis."

"Like old times, Brother," she grinned. "Maybe we don't smoke in the rooms and set off the hotel fire sprinklers this time."

All four Shiba children turned to their father with dropped jaws. They did wHAT?!

Isshin laughed nervously, "Ah that Aunt Kukaku, she's a joker."

Kukaku shrugged but nobody missed the glare Isshin sent her.

"Come on everyone," Isshin cleared his throat, clearly trying to distract from the awkward moment. "Up to the rooms."

It took several trips for the elevators to get everyone up to the correct floor, but soon enough Ichigo and Toshiro were dumping their luggage beside their chosen beds. The rooms were basic but still nice; two double beds with bedside tables next to each, a large mirror that made the room seem bigger than it was, a small desk against the wall and a couple of little arm chairs to sit in by the window. There was a small bathroom that just held a toilet, basin and shower. It would do for two weeks anyway, especially if they were spending most of their time up the mountain training and competing or downstairs in the shared community facilities.

There were also welcome packs for each of them on the beds including little soft toy versions of this year's Olympic mascots, information pamphlets on the village facilities (laundry, canteen, TV room, bar – no alcohol?!), the village rules list, key rings, lanyards, maps of the village, town, and mountain, and – much to Toshiro's surprise – condoms. Rangiku had indeed informed him of the 'Olympics Sex Culture' as she put it, in which athlete hook ups were common place, and she even informed him that he'd be given free condoms in his welcome pack but part of him hadn't believed her.

Ichigo immediately pocketed several condoms, before he flopped on the bed, shooting off a text and rolling over. It looked like he was going to take a nap, meaning Toshiro was going to have to be completely muted in his unpacking. Truth be told, Toshiro hadn't slept much on the flights over to Europe and was rather tired himself but knew that if he slept now, he wouldn't be able to sleep later tonight. Instead he went about silently unpacking his suitcase, putting his clothes into the drawers of his bedside table or in the small closet space (he made sure he left at least 65% free for Ichigo's use). If they were going to be here for two weeks, they shouldn't be living out of their suitcases. He left his snowboard (he called it Hyorinmaru for the giant dragon drawn on the underside) and the related equipment inside its bag but slipped it under the bed so it wouldn't be stepped on. He was in the process of wedging his now empty suitcase between the wall and his bedside table where it would be out of the way when a melodic knocking pattern on their door loudly disturbed the silence in the room, causing Toshiro to wince and Ichigo to groan and roll over.

Toshiro opened the door and Rangiku waltzed in, not at all concerned with being quiet despite him shushing her as she walked under the threshold.

"Nice rooms, aren't they?" she gushed loudly as if she had noted the normal decibel of heavy metal concert and decided to talk in a volume that was just above that. "Not as good as the ones at Aspen, but still much better than the Mammoth Lakes ones!"

Toshiro held his head in his hands, trying to refrain from banging it against the nearest wall. Why did she always try to piss Ichigo off? She wasn't the one who had to room with him for two weeks!

"Why are you so fucking loud?" Ichigo hissed, grimacing.

"It's the Olympics, Sweetheart," Rangiku answered even louder, never one to tolerate Ichigo's shitty moods. "Cheer up, Buttercup. Also Yoruichi wants to see you in our room, so get going."

"About what?" Ichigo frowned, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"I don't know," Rangiku shrugged, voice back down to a normal register, flopping back onto Toshiro's bed, "probably to organise your training schedule or something. Also your dad says we're all meeting down in the lobby at five before walking to the Opening Ceremony."

The skier groaned loudly before pulling himself to his feet, slipping back on his shoes and trudging out the door.

"Oh good, he's gone," Rangiku sat back up, eyes lit up with mischief that left Toshiro wondering whether or not Yoruichi really had sent for Ichigo or if Rangiku had just been trying to get rid of him. "I've got a present for you!"

"What kind of present?" Toshiro asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Rangiku reached under her jacket to the waistband of her pants and pulled out a box before tossing it to him. Toshiro caught it with ease before turning it over and recognising the colours and label instantly.

"Condoms?" he stared at them, wide eyed. "Why are you giving me condoms?!"

"We all got given free condoms in our welcome packs," Rangiku said casually, shrugging.

"Yes, but not this brand!"

"Well the brand they give us won't fit that giant cock of yours!"

Toshiro died instantly.

_Of fucking course_. Of course she would bring that back up! It was Rangiku's favourite topic of conversation, much to his mortification.

"I mean I'll never understand how someone so little ended up with such a big-"

"Ran, stop," Toshiro groaned covering his eyes as she burst out laughing.

How was it possible that she was the most annoying and frustrating person on the planet and also the coolest, most relaxed friend ever?

He glanced back down of the packet in his hand; Magnum condoms 'LARGE'.

"That is the brand you use," Rangiku stated matter-of-factly with a giggle.

Yes it was the brand he used as well as the size and he hated that she knew that but he had lived with her for a long time now. They did the grocery shopping together in which he had often (while dating Momo anyway) thrown a packet into the trolley. She had also, regrettably, heard a number of the girls he had slept with in the past, loudly exclaim the fact while in the throes of sex (Momo in particular had been very loud and vocal about the size of his cock – much to his roommate's disturbing delight). There was also one particular incident in which Rangiku and Yukio had hid in his bedroom closet to surprise him on his birthday one year, and Toshiro had just happened to bring a girl home. Apparently not wanting to disrupt him, his two friends stayed silent, listening with interest as he… well, you know. It was horribly embarrassing for him (he never told the girl and couldn't bring himself to call her back).

Truth be told, his penis was larger than average, more in girth than in length, and he did require the large size condoms for it. There were ups and downs to having a big dick, the ups being girls frothing over it and men being jealous when they found out about it, the downs being girls realising how much harder it was to take a bigger dick, and even harder to suck it. He had never had a proper blow job before, most women he had been with giving up in the first few seconds knowing they wouldn't be able to hold it in their mouths long enough. Not even Momo would give it a go, and they had dated for over three years. He understood that it was intimidating though, and would never force anything on anyone – he always made sure to properly prepare a girl before sticking it in – but he couldn't help but fantasize about a girl on her knees between his legs, her lips stretched around the head of it and teasing the slit with her tongue. Alas, it was to be masturbation material only.

"Look, I know you're not really a 'one night stand' kind of guy," Rangiku explained, getting straight to the point, "but you never know who you might meet here or what you might want to do. I just want you to be prepared, that's all. Better safe than sorry, remember we almost learned that the hard way last year."

Yes they had, when Momo had pretended to be pregnant.

"And if you don't use them, that's fine," the strawberry blonde continued. "You can take them home and save them for someone special."

Toshiro sighed and nodded. She was right – of course she was – it was better to be prepared, just in case. He wasn't a 'one night stand' kind of guy as she put it, always preferring to date and get to know a girl first, but he had done it before, usually out of sheer loneliness. It wasn't often and he usually felt shit about it the next day. However, Toshiro had been feeling rather lonely again lately, and probably wouldn't be opposed to having a bit of an Olympic fling, provided he could stop himself getting attached too early, which generally was the biggest problem he had. Rangiku believed it was his 'daddy attention issues' (why does she have to describe it like that?) from his childhood that had him getting attached very quickly in relationships because _finally_ _someone was paying attention to him_. Toshiro hated her reasoning but couldn't refute the argument too much given it was what attracted him to Momo in the first place (she had caught him at a bad time – when his father, brother and Rangiku were all at the last Olympics without him. She was the nurse who tended to his broken rib and had him hook, line and sinker instantly). It was pathetic, and Toshiro hated it, but he was yet to be able to stop himself when he got into situations like that.

"Thanks," he murmured, shuffling over to his bedside table and putting them in the top drawer.

"Hold up," Rangiku said, reaching back under her jacket (seriously how did she hide everything there?), and pulling out another item and tossing it to him. "We both know lube makes everything a bit easier."

She winked at him and Toshiro rolled his eyes but he couldn't help but agree. Rangiku really was the coolest friend.

He put the lube and condoms away and prayed silently that Ichigo or anyone else didn't open this drawer.

"Although if you did want to impress any special ladies here," Rangiku's voice went low and sultry, sending a terrifying shiver down Toshiro's spine instantly, "I could always upload one of your modelling shots, you know, the ones in your underwe-"

"No, thank you!" Toshiro cut in quickly, face hot with embarrassment, causing Rangiku to giggle.

About a year ago, he had been approached by Calvin Klein to do an underwear photoshoot for a special athlete edition line they were doing. Quiksilver approved it since they didn't make underwear and it wouldn't be competition to their brand, and knowing they needed all the money they could get for flying back and forth between home and Canada all year, Toshiro had decided to do it. It was a little uncomfortable and while he did have to admit they had made him look pretty good, it had since become Rangiku's favourite 'Throwback Thursday' Instagram upload and also, disturbingly, her phone lock screen.

Rangiku grinned devilishly, like she was definitely going to upload it again sometime in the next two weeks, before she hopped back to her feet and grabbed his arm, "Let's go play outside now."

Toshiro chuckled nervously but agreed, grabbing his jacket and room key before following her hastily out the door. If he could keep her busy, she might forget about the underwear shot.

They explored the village briefly, just ducking their heads into different rooms to see what was available to them. It was pretty standard – a bar, a canteen and a TV room showing the live coverage of the event. The food in the canteen was apparently free for them as were the drinks in the bar, but there was no alcohol on site. That seemed odd to him, given they were mostly all adults here but he was sure there was good reason for the policy. Rangiku explained that it was always the case at the Olympics but all the athletes would still sneak in their own alcohol anyway. As it was, Rangiku had loaded both of their suitcases up with a number of duty free vodka bottles that she had bought at the airport.

They turned back towards the Olympic Rings they had seen when they were driven in and found them near the entrance, held on their pillars in a bed of snow.

"Amazing," Toshiro stared up at it in awe; it was literally the symbol of his life dream.

"Selfie time!" Rangiku sung suddenly, grabbing his arm and pulling him around so she could get a picture of them together in front of the rings. "Smile, Bub!"

Toshiro smiled instantly, only because he knew if he pulled any other face right now she would still upload it to Instagram and he'd look like an idiot. He was correct though, for the moment she was done taking the photos (multiple) and had selected the one in which she looked the 'hottest', she was uploading it to her profile, using countless hashtags and tagging him, his smiling face going out to her eight hundred thousand followers.

"Come on!" Ran called, satisfied with her social media activity for the day, as she ran towards the rings and climbed up the thin pillar and onto the gold ring in the bottom left corner.

She was actually just a big child, which she often brought out in Toshiro too who quickly joined her at the rings. Toshiro was shorter than the height of the green ring in the bottom right corner, but he was able to reach it with his hands stretched up and with a bit of a jump, Toshiro got a good enough grip to pull himself up.

Toshiro climbed inside the green ring and sat, turning to look back at the village around him. Lots of athletes were still arriving, some countries more easily identified than others, the bigger teams having the same struggle with their suitcases that the Aussies had.

They continued to play on the Olympic symbol, climbing all over the rings and swinging off them. Toshiro even managed to work out the timer on his camera and got a hilarious picture of them both on the rings; Rangiku posing for a model shot, lying in her golden ring (he was sure she was going to comment on it about getting gold early or something), and Toshiro hanging off the red ring in the top right corner like a monkey. He uploaded it to his Instagram later as they were rushing back to meet his father in the lobby. He also made the mistake of checking the latest set of messages from Momo's newest account:

** MH4TS**  
_Have a safe flight, call me when u land xx_  
_Have u landed yet? _  
_Pls babe, I don't want 2 leave it like this while ur away_

He managed to click back to the photo as Rangiku tried to take his phone out of his hands to see it.

"Aw cute, Bub," Rangiku giggled at the picture and thankfully not flicking back to his direct messages. "It's a pity you kept your jacket on, I reckon your biceps would have been tensing beautifully."

Toshiro laughed and snatched his phone back as they hustled back to the lobby.

"You're incorrigible."

"But you love me."

"Whatever."

They entered the hotel and found his family and the rest of Team Australia milling around the lobby.

"Where have you two been?" Isshin asked, glancing down at his watch.

"Check our Instagram accounts," Rangiku smirked to which Isshin just blinked at her, never having used the app before.

Apparently they weren't the latest as they waited for the bobsled team to come down from their rooms several minutes later. Once the whole team was together they began walking down to the arena, pulsing with anticipation alongside the countries around them.

They were guided in and briefed on how things were going to run. The coaches separated from the athletes and entered the arena to find their seats. Rangiku was given a large Australian flag on a pole and a pretty girl dressed as an obscure snowflake stood with their team, their country's name on a frosted sign – apparently she was to walk ahead of everyone so people would work out who they were, Rangiku would walk behind her with the flag and the rest of the team would walk as a group behind both of them.

There was a lot of waiting around but fortunately dance songs from the 1990s were blasted through the holding area, keeping the moods lifted.

"I'm so nervous," Yuzu murmured, holding her arms up to her chest and bobbing nervously to the beat of the song.

"You'll be right, Babe," Jinta hummed, coming to hug her from behind. "Just don't trip while the cameras are on us. There are literally millions of people watching from home."

Toshiro glared at him and Yuzu smacked his arm softer than Toshiro thought he deserved, "Jinta, I'm serious!"

"Don't worry, Yuu," Toshiro interrupted quickly, noticing Ichigo was distracted texting again and wasn't stepping in to help his precious baby sister. "If you trip, I'll trip too, but even worse so nobody will even notice your trip."

Yuzu laughed and smiled at him which made Toshiro's heart swell knowing he had done that for her.

"Thanks, Tosh," she beamed. "You will have to walk next to me then."

"I can do that," Toshiro agreed, lips turning up into a smile of his own. He was glad he wasn't going to walk alone while Rangiku was up front with the flag.

To be truthful, the nervousness was back in his stomach too as the ceremony grew closer. This was it, this was the Olympics! It was really beginning to settle in his mind where he was and how important it was for him to be here.

Rangiku must have sensed this as she ditched the flag, leaning it against the wall, and returned to annoy him.

"Dance with me," she sung, poking him in the ribs as she bounced around him to whatever bloody Spice Girls song was now. "Come on!"

Toshiro gave a long suffering sigh but joined her regardless. A serious pattern seemed to be forming today; Rangiku would nag him into doing something ridiculous and he wouldn't even bother arguing. Although he figured that was pretty much how they had operated their friendship over the last thirteen years anyway.

He began to dance with her, both of them doing the most ridiculous, over-the-top dance moves they could think off, somehow still staying in time with the beat of the song. It was actually something he did like to do with her whenever they went to clubs or parties, or sometimes in inappropriate places or situations just to have a laugh. Supermarkets, for one, bus stops for another, sometimes even at the top of the halfpipe while waiting for their turn to go.

They danced wildly, gaining the attention of more than a few but Toshiro didn't really care, and Rangiku certainly enjoyed the attention. To be friends with Rangiku Matsumoto, one generally had to be prepared to be embarrassed at regular intervals and cause public scenes where possible. She was loud, proud and beautiful – she had eyes on her wherever she went and Toshiro had learned to roll with her antics, even if they looked utterly ridiculous at the time.

The bounced, shimmied, hipped and hopped around, and at one point Toshiro noticed Yuzu filming and giggling to herself which was enough to make him continue – anything to be the brother that made her smile. The nerves started to wear off and Toshiro found himself enjoying the moment again.

"ICHIGO!" a loud voice boomed across the arena.

Toshiro looked up, stalling in his movements, and saw Ichigo glance over at where his name was called, immediately sprinting off across the arena. The snowboarder turned and followed his brother's path with his eyes, watching as the tall strawberry almost jumped into an even taller redhead's arms. He recognised Renji instantly, although he was hardly forgettable being that large, brightly haired and tattooed. Toshiro smiled a little seeing Ichigo grinning in his new boyfriend's arms – whatever relationship the brothers had now, Toshiro still wanted to Ichigo happy and loved.

Suddenly a sharp pain in his ribs had Toshiro turning to its source; Rangiku's elbow.

"Hot girl at one o'clock," Rangiku hissed softly. "She's staring at you. Also she has a cute friend with silver hair."

Toshiro turned back to where his brother was now sucking face with the Irish skier, but shifted his eyes a little to the right, clocking the 'hot girl' instantly, and hot she certainly was. More than that she was easily the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen; a hundred percent his type.

She was wearing the Irish uniform like Renji but was absolutely tiny, he noticed that first. Very petite, easily shorter than him which was a rare find. Her hair was pitch black, the colour of midnight and even darker, if possible, than his father's family's colour. Her eyes were huge and round, the irises dark but he was unable to identify the colour from so far away. Her skin was pale but in a beautiful moonlit way, like she was the Greek goddess Artemis. Her face was such a work of art, Da Vinci could have painted it for all he knew.

They looked at each other and she offered him a playful smile that almost stopped Toshiro's heart. He watched as her eyes wandered over him briefly and instinctively tensed all of his muscles for her gaze but realised later that it would have made zero difference under the white puffer jacket they were wearing and the thick snow trousers.

Suddenly their little staring match was broken when her tall teammate and hopefully not boyfriend (although he did seem very exasperated to see her staring at him) pulled her around sharply – he must have been the 'cute' silver haired friend Rangiku had mentioned. Toshiro's jaw dropped as he was then presented with her rear view.

"Gurl, dat ass," Rangiku whistled lowly, echoing his thoughts completely.

It wasn't shown well with the loose fitting team uniform they were wearing but even with them covering it, Toshiro could tell the girl had a tight butt. He was a butt and thighs man for sure, breasts never having much of an appeal to him, and this girl had a next level ass going on. Super round, super toned, _gods_ he groaned and bit his lip trying to imagine it in more tight fitting pants, or better yet, completely bare.

"Definitely a skater," Rangiku murmured. "She's got an ass like Yuzu but even tighter."

That image was enough to break Toshiro from his lustful daze as he choked on her words.

"Don't talk about my sister like that," he hissed quietly, glancing back at Yuzu who was wrapped up in meeting Jinta's new roommate and was thankfully out of earshot.

"Well she does," Rangiku laughed, hands up in defence, "and so does Karin but she does a hundred squats a day, as does Ichigo actually…"

Toshiro's eyes bulged at her as she started comparing the butts of the Shiba siblings.

"And your ass too is bloody amazing," Rangiku added thoughtfully, "kinda like Kit Harrington's. Fuck there must actually be something in the water at your place if you've all got asses like that."

"Please stop," Toshiro frowned disapprovingly, "and just let me look at this girl in peace."

"Yes, Sir!" Rangiku winked. "I bet you're glad I bought you those condoms now, huh?"

Throwing her another glare, Toshiro turned back to the Irish girl and found her looking at him again. This time it was his turn to smile. He really hoped he would get a chance to meet her. Physically, she was his dream girl, but he wanted to know what she was like in terms of personality. He didn't need the condoms for that.

"That silver haired guy could be her boyfriend," Toshiro pointed out after a moment. "I'm not getting in the way of something like that. Besides, you can't assume that she would want to have sex with me anyway."

"Oh, Bub," Rangiku sighed. "I have so much to teach you about women."

Toshiro frowned at that. He turned back but the Irish girl appeared to get distracted talking with her team and Ichigo, and before he could meet her eyes again, the officials were telling them to get ready to start the ceremony, especially as Australia would be one of the first nations to walk out into the arena due to their rank on the alphabetical scale.

There was a big television set up for the athletes to watch the live coverage of the ceremony before they walked out. Toshiro had to wonder how many Australians might have bothered to wake up so early to watch it live given it was barely dawn there now. It was likely most would watch the night time screening later.

There was a video being played that could have very well doubled as their national tourism advertisement in the beginning but eventually turned into the story of five children searching for each of the Olympic rings which suddenly symbolised heavy world issues and the coming together of world nations to find peace. The children then arrived in the arena with a ring each, forming the Olympics symbol. The rings were carried into the sky and suddenly set alight, with loud cheers echoing out of the arena by the thousands of attendees.

"Not as cool as the ones we played on earlier," Rangiku commented dryly.

"But these ones are on fire and are floating in mid-air," Toshiro retorted, humouring her. "If you ask me that's pretty cool."

Suddenly the first country was called up, distracting them from the ridiculous argument they were about to have. Greece, the founding country of the first ever Olympics, was sent packing into the arena first, the athletes bouncing excitedly and waving their hands madly at the audience.

The order of countries became alphabetical after that and after just a handful of countries, Australian was called up.

"You'll be good, Bub," Rangiku patted his head quickly before turning and beginning to lead the Aussie pack from the holding room into the stadium, her large flagpole in hand.

"Tosh!" Yuzu called him and Toshiro slid over to her. She linked her arm around his and drew him closer. "You fall, I fall."

He grinned at her and together they set off, Jinta holding her other hand and waving wildly at the audience. They all had mini flags in their pockets and pulled them out, waving them enthusiastically. Ichigo was a few steps ahead of them, thoroughly soaking up the moment and Rangiku at the front waved her team flag about proudly.

The atmosphere was truly tremendous. The thunderous cheering from the audience alone was incredible even though most of them were waving flags that weren't Australian. They did spot the odd Aussie flag out there and several New Zealand flags which were very similar. Toshiro felt the adrenalin pumping through his veins; every time he thought it had sunk in that he had actually made it to the Olympics, something else came along and struck him harder. This was the most unbelievable feeling.

After a while the next country was called and the focus shifted from their team to the next, and Toshiro allowed himself a moment of sentiment. This was where his mother had once walked and his father too. Sure, it was in a completely different country and an entirely different arena but the situation was the same. He wondered if she had felt the emotions he was feeling; had she been as nervous? Had she been so excited? Toshiro looked ahead and made eye contact with Ichigo and knew instantly he had been thinking the same thing. They nodded to each other but nothing was said.

At the end of their journey, they were filed into seats. Luckily they were the first group in that section of the seats so they had a smooth transition and they got to be the highest up. They were given a water bottle each, and between the two of them, Toshiro and Rangiku downed one of the bottles as the next country was sat in front of them. Rangiku stealthily filled the bottle back up with not one but three small flasks of vodka that she had tucked into the waist band of her trousers. She didn't pack a mixer though so they had use the other bottle of water as a chaser to what would essentially otherwise be straight vodka shots – not that water had any taste to cover that of the vodka, but it would sooth their throats a little anyway while also keeping them hydrated. Apparently they weren't the only ones to have this idea and it was a miracle none of the officials noticed them all getting out flasks to fill up their empty bottles.

They sat comfortably, passing the bottles between them, and Toshiro's ears picked up as Team Ireland was at last called out. The small group of four athletes wandered into the arena, led by the ginormous Renji.

"Fuck yes!" Ichigo stood as a close up shot of his boyfriend was shown up on the screens. "That's my man!"

The Aussies wolf whistled at him and cheered extra loudly for the small Irish team, but were once again distracted by their 'water' bottles within minutes. Toshiro too was starting feel the buzz, or at least that's why he assumed he was so captivated by whatever ridiculous story Rangiku was telling him now.

At some point, Toshiro had tuned back into the ceremony around him, turning down Rangiku's offer of more alcohol. He would save it for the apparent after party to follow back in the village bar but for now, he wanted to stay sober enough to properly take in this experience and remember every moment of it.

Bright green clocked his peripheral vision and Toshiro glanced down to see the Irish team sitting a few rows below them. Spotting the girl he'd been looking at earlier instantly, Toshiro stared with the safety of knowing she was facing the other way. He couldn't see much from here, just the back of her head, but still a beautiful back of the head it was.

"Oh dream girl is here," Rangiku squealed and he immediately shushed her.

"Yeah so is dream boy," Toshiro quietly gestured to the tall hopefully-not-her-boyfriend guy beside the pretty Irish woman.

"Oh," Rangiku leaned forward in her chair to get a better look. "I can't tell if he is insanely tall or just tall next to her?"

Toshiro shrugged, suddenly hoping that tall guys weren't what this Irish girl was into because that was a box he wasn't really able to tick, even if he was still taller than her.

"We'll see when they stand," Toshiro murmured. "Compare him to Renji who we know is taller than Ichigo."

Ichigo and Rangiku were roughly the same height so it was a good indicator.

"Maybe if we move really fast, we can walk past them on the way out," Rangiku plotted. "Then I could compare him to me."

Nodding, Toshiro took another sip of the real water while Rangiku turned back to watch the ceremony, although one eye definitely remained on the Irish team. Suddenly the dark haired woman turned to glance at him and Toshiro panicked, smiling at her quickly before turning away too, Rangiku's focus shifting with him and they both remained still for some time pretending to watch the performances.

"Fuck," Rangiku muttered between her fake smiling teeth. "Do you think she saw us staring?"

Toshiro didn't answer and wouldn't until he knew if she had stopped looking at him. It was several minutes before he spared himself a small glance down and thankfully she was faced forwards again. He released a deep breath; okay, no more sneaking glances at the Irish.

Thankfully he didn't have to suffer too long as the ceremony finally came to its close and the athletes were able to depart. There was no organisation out of the seats so Rangiku grabbed his arm and pulled him down the stairs quickly, only slowing near the bottom, timing it perfectly as the Irish team were about to step out in front of them. The silver haired guy stopped abruptly, and pulled back the pretty girl, allowing them to pass.

Toshiro noted his wide eyes that were glued to Rangiku as she passed him with a smile and also the height difference between them, knowing Rangiku would be happy to know she was well smaller than him, which was a rare find for her too.

Toshiro slipped by too and caught up to Rangiku when they hit the arena floor again.

"Oh my goodness," she gushed, gripping Toshiro's arm tightly with her excitement. "Did you see him?!"

"Couldn't miss him," Toshiro smirked as they exited the arena, back into the icy night air. "He's fucking huge."

"Taller than me," Rangiku swooned, her pupils suddenly seeming heart-shaped, "and so sweet too, the way he let us pass them like that."

"A gentleman," Toshiro agreed. "That would be good for you."

Rangiku could have any guy she wanted realistically, provided they weren't committed to the gay team, but largely found herself only dating dickheads. Toshiro for one was sick of seeing her treated like a sex toy and being ditched on dates when she refused to put out. Even more so, Toshiro hated having her cry herself to sleep in his lap, drunk and sick on the bathroom floor because she simply couldn't understand why no guy liked her beyond her body.

They made their way back to the hotel and eventually caught up with their coaches in the lobby again. Isshin was beaming proudly at them and pulling them all into hugs, one by one, Toshiro holding on just a second longer than the others. They waited for Ichigo to catch up having been walking back with the Irish.

"What are you kids doing for the rest of the night?" Yoruichi asked as they entered the elevator together. "Getting the party scene started early, I hope?"

"Yep," Ichigo laughed. "Everyone is heading down to the bar."

"I know you'll all be sneaking alcohol in," Kukaku smirked, "which I do highly applaud. However, I will remind Yuzu and Jinta that you have your short programme heat tomorrow at midday."

"We won't be drinking," Yuzu answered quickly, "or staying long, we just want to check it out."

Jinta grinned in a way that totally suggested he was going to do exactly the opposite but Kukaku ignored it, murmuring to Yuzu to 'keep a tight leash on that one tonight' as they left the lift.

The coaches returned to their own rooms, mumbling about old age, jet lag and needing an early night.

Toshiro and Ichigo entered their room and changed quickly. Toshiro pulled off his yellow team beanie and slipped on his black jeans and a faded blue button down shirt, grabbing his white team jacket to throw over the top while they were outside, his room key secured firmly in the pocket. He still wore his rings and watch, but had ditched his favourite Quiksilver beanie behind, wanting to feel the cold in his hair after it was isolated to summer temperatures for the last week.

"I'm staying in Renji's room tonight," Ichigo informed him.

Toshiro nodded, secretly very glad the two men were taking their reunion to the Irish man's room and not locking Toshiro out of his for the night.

He met Rangiku outside her door a few minutes later and they wandered down to the bar, coming across Karin on the phone in the lobby who walked to the bar with them, her speech swapping between English and broken German, obviously talking to one of her Berlin friends.

Outside the bar, they met Yuzu and Jinta as well as Jinta's roommate, Steve, the guy informing them of a blond security guard that took bribes if they wanted to get alcohol in. As it turned out, Rangiku only needed to bat her eyelashes a couple of times and in they snuck an entire bottle of vodka.

Yuzu went to the bar to order a round of lemonades and while she was gone, Jinta ducked down behind a table and took a swig of the vodka. Toshiro glared at him disapprovingly but the little shit didn't seem to care, passing the bottle to back to Rangiku before following his girlfriend to the bar.

It was warm inside so Toshiro stripped back his jacket and threw it over the back of one of the chairs. He would have to remember it was there as it contained his room key.

"Ja, ja," Karin was saying into the phone, voice suspiciously hushed, barely audible above the music. "Yes, I will… Okay, bye... Auf Wiederhören."

"Who was that?" Toshiro asked as she hung up the phone.

"Just my coach," Karin shrugged, taking the vodka out of Rangiku's hands and taking a long swig.

There was something odd about the way she had been talking on the phone and the way she had noticeably looked away from him as she answered that had Toshiro frowning. There was something going on there, he was sure of it, but before he could follow up on it, Yuzu and Jinta returned with a tray of lemonades and Rangiku began topping the up their glasses with her vodka. As she did, the music changed and Yuzu suddenly squealed in delight.

"This song played at our formal," she told Karin, already pulling her twin towards the dance floor. "Let's go dance!"

Karin was dragged away before she could protest, while Jinta and Steve snuck off with the vodka bottle. Toshiro spotted Ichigo sitting on Renji's lap at the bar, and that tall guy Rangiku had been eyeing nearby with the fourth Irish team member, a female with hair chopped short who seemed like an angry little assassin. They really were an interesting looking bunch, the Irish team, but all uniquely attractive. The dark haired girl he had been staring at wasn't with them, much to his disappointment. Toshiro hoped she would join them later and maybe he could get some more liquid courage into him, just enough to say hello and perhaps introduce himself to her.

Rangiku noticed the Irish team too and instantly began fixing her hair and clothes like she had done at the airport, suddenly self-conscious.

"Just go over there," Toshiro chuckled, nudging her in the direction of the bar. "Introduce yourself. What's the worst that could happen?"

Rangiku looked appalled, "Um, he could hear me!"

Toshiro rolled his eyes; how was she so confident with herself in every aspect of her life except talking to guys she found attractive?

"Ran, he doesn't look very confident himself," he pointed out. "He will probably be relieved that you were the one to approach him. You just need an opener to break the ice."

It was her advice to him on almost every occasion where he wanted to meet a certain lady.

"Okay, you're right," Rangiku murmured, nodding to herself decidedly, "I just need an opener… Okay, how about this story…"

She proceeded to launch into a very animated version of the story of how she originally got into snowboarding; she had been nine years old and was told by a bunch of boys that she wasn't allowed to play at the skate park with them because she was girl, so she went home, demanded her parents buy her a skateboard and taught herself all the tricks, before returning to the skate park and showing up all the boys who had teased her. Given they lived in the Snowy Mountains region, she eventually turned her skateboarding talent to the slopes, winning her first junior snowboarding competition at twelve and finally convincing her parents to let Isshin coach her professionally at sixteen, provided she still finished school. It was a good story, Toshiro would admit and it summarised her personality completely. She was determined and gifted with raw talent, and never under any circumstances did she let someone tell her she couldn't do something, especially if the reason was because she was female.

He was about to tell her how perfect her story was to break the ice with the silver haired guy, as the one common interest everyone here had was their sporting ability, whether they did the exact same sport or not, but then suddenly-

"You!"

A strong feminine voice called loudly over the music which had lulled for a second. Toshiro and Rangiku, as well as several others, turned to look at its source: the beautiful Irish girl was standing near the entrance. She was wearing an Irish team jumper which was tight and navy blue with a green shamrock printed on the front, and the most figure-hugging pair of leggings he had ever seen. Her body was slim and petite but he could tell it was also very toned, the fabric of her leggings not leaving much to the imagination, and those beautiful thighs finally given the justice they deserved.

Her eyes were wide and determined, and she was staring right at him.

He blinked at her dumbly, lost for words. Was she really looking at him?

The petite girl was then marching towards him with such aggression in each step, looking entirely furious like she was about to attack him and the white haired snowboarder stared at her, unable to move or think of any reason why she could be mad at him. They had never even spoken?

He opened his mouth to speak as she reached him but before he could even get the first syllable out, she was crushing their lips together hard, her hands on his face and holding him in place.

_Holy fuck._

_Holy fuckamoly._

_Far out!_

Her lips against his were like fire, burning into him like a branding iron but it felt magnificent. It took a moment for his brain to kick back into gear and find the sense to kiss her back. He did, feeling entirely sucked into her whirlpool of lust. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body into him and lifting her from the ground, his arms tight around her tiny waist. She weighed nothing at all and if she noticed herself being lifted he couldn't tell because she did not slow down her kiss at all, especially as he kissed her back just as eagerly. Her lips were so soft and the heat coming off her was starting to radiate through his entire body. He could no longer hear the music and cheers around him and he while he was mildly aware that Rangiku was still beside him, no doubt watching with intense interest, and his siblings were also around and probably witnessing this kissing attack, Toshiro couldn't bring himself to give a shit, allowing himself to get completely lost in the Irish woman's taste. It was just him and her in that moment, no one else.

Deepening the kiss with his tongue and desperately trying to taste more of her, Toshiro found himself being pushed back, the girl in his arms demanding dominance; _fine by him_. He let her into his mouth, her hands pulling his hair in a way that really turned him on, and – was that a tongue piercing? His attention turned to it as he let his tongue explore the smooth metal object and confirmed its existence. He internalised a moan at the thought of that tongue bar running the length of his cock.

Fuck, he was going to have a very obvious erection in a moment.

Fortunately, and just as the reality check flashed in his mind that his little sisters were likely watching them and he was reminded that he would rather die than let them ever see him in that state, the Irish woman pulled back from the kiss, breathless.

"Do you find me attractive?" she asked and Toshiro's thoughts ceased with the accent; when the fuck did the Irish accent get sexy? It had always been a cute, adorable, happy people accent, but with the lust in this girl's voice, Toshiro was going to have to re-evaluate how he perceived it. She sounded like she was going to ride him right there on the bar floor.

Eventually he got the mindset back enough to nod in response to her question. Of course he found her attractive! He wouldn't have just let her kiss the fuck out of him if he didn't.

"Do you want to take me home?"

"Yes."

Toshiro answered instantly and on instinct. Literally, the most gorgeous looking woman he had ever met was asking him to take her home and he would have been insane to say no. He usually wasn't a sex before dating kind of guy, but he was still human.

The raven haired girl leaned down to kiss him passionately once more, and Toshiro happily inhaled her sweet breath once more. His body was on fire and his lungs filling with smoke but somehow he felt like he was breathing properly for the first time. Too soon, the woman was pulling back once again, sucking his bottom lip into her mouth as she separated from him.

"Let's go," she breathed and Toshiro placed her gently back on the ground.

She grabbed his arm and began pulling him towards the exit, the white haired snowboarder following blindly.

"Bub!"

Pulled out of his haze for a moment, Toshiro glanced over his shoulder at Rangiku who was holding his jacket out for him. He couldn't believe he had almost forgotten it – how embarrassing would it have been if they got up to her room and not been able to get in? His best friend tossed him the jacket which he caught effortlessly with his free hand, Rangiku's face horribly excited and beaming with pride. He rolled his eyes again knowing exactly which thoughts were flying through her mind right now.

Turning back to the Irish girl, Toshiro allowed himself to be pulled from the room with desperate haste.

"Which hotel?" the woman asked abruptly once outside, torn between the two large and almost identical hotels.

"That one," Toshiro nodded to one of them and then scrambled to catch up as she set off again at a determined pace.

The icy wind cut through the village and the dark haired girl shivered. Toshiro kicked himself for not handing her his jacket sooner and held it out for her, asking her if she wanted it. She turned it down though, almost looking annoyed at being offered, and continuing her brutal pace towards his building.

Toshiro jumped ahead of her at the door, pulling it open for her and allowing her through to the lobby first. Despite what this girl was doing to him right now, Toshiro would be damned if he forgot his manners. Isshin had raised a gentleman and he wasn't about to spit on those rules he had been taught just because a pretty girl with a tongue bar was coming back to his room (even if she was literally the most stunning creature he had ever laid his eyes on and kissed like no woman he had ever known).

They strode through the warmly lit lobby, ignoring the odd glance and raised eyebrow of the staff, to the lifts at the back. The doors opened instantly as he pressed the up button. They entered the elevator and Toshiro pressed the button for the seventh floor.

"So, do I get your name?" he asked as he turned back to her, feeling bad just referring to her as 'the pretty Irish girl' in his head.

"My name?" the girl smirked, as the doors came to close and the lift began to move. "You'll have to earn it."

"Oh," Toshiro said, very intelligently of course, as the Irish woman backed him up against the elevator wall like a lioness closing in on her prey.

Her eyes were violet. He was surprised he didn't notice earlier but he hadn't really had much of a chance and he didn't allow himself one either as he accepted her challenge and kissed her fiercely, pouring every ounce of passion he had into her mouth. He allowed his hands to explore her back, dragging all over her tight form, and only just refraining from her ass, despite how desperate he was to squeeze it and maybe spank it a little.

The doors opened and a passing athlete muttered a sarcastic comment about getting a room that broke their spell long enough to exit the elevator and stumble down the hallway to his door. He made quick work of opening the door with the key card, and once again allowed the dark haired girl to enter first. He had left one of his bedside lamps on so he wouldn't be trying to navigate in the dark if he had come home drunk from the bar, but Toshiro still wandered around the other side of his bed and flicked a second lamp on, giving the room the perfect lighting for the evening he was about to have. It was light enough that he would be able to see her body well but not so bright it was uncomfortable or awkward.

"Do you want a glass of wine?" he asked; he was sure Ichigo had brought wine and he could replace it tomorrow morning, otherwise he only had vodka but that was hardly a romantic beverage.

"That's not really why I'm here," the girl answered, her voice somewhat playful, somewhat stern, ready to get down to business.

"Alright," Toshiro replied, tilting his head a little, curious; he had never had a girl so in charge and dominating before and he would be lying if he said he wasn't very turned on by it.

As if on cue, the woman took control again and pushed him back into the wall, her tongue back in his mouth in an instant and her lean fingers tugging his snowy locks. Toshiro was happy following her lead, and after a moment, let his own fingers roam underneath the hem of her jumper, across her silky smooth skin. Apparently liking his hands on her skin or maybe just wanting to speed things along, the dark haired beauty separated from him long enough to pull her jumper over her head, leaving her in a thin dark blue shirt and of course, the famous leggings.

She had a fit body that was for sure and Toshiro couldn't wait to see it without the interference of clothes, but the girl seemed to have other ideas, coming back to kiss him, her hands moving to the top button of his shirt. Toshiro slowed the kiss down while she undid the buttons, taking the lead for a small second and appreciating her taste. He kept his hands on her hips as he kissed her gently and as she managed to pop open one button at a time. Eventually he felt the fabric opening and being forced down over his shoulders until it fell to the ground, pooling around his feet.

She pulled back from the kiss to inspect his body, which Toshiro allowed her a moment of peace to do, hoping she would like what she saw.

He was fit too of course, although he was not a big as some other snowboarders. Fortunately his sport didn't require much bulk, just toned strength, most of which was in his legs, ass and lower core, but he often worked out his arms, back and upper chest too, mostly just to be proportionate with the muscles in the bottom half of his body.

Her freezing cold hands explored the ridges in his muscles, and in particular over the deep V muscle disappearing below the waistline of his jeans, contrasting with heat radiating off his own skin, the feeling causing him to gasp and a sharp twitch of pleasure in his cock.

"Now you have to take yours off," Toshiro grinned down at her, his lusty hormones travelling to his brain.

He had showed her his body and now it was time for him to unwrap the feisty little package he'd brought home.

"Sit," she ordered, confident smirk gracing her lips, and Toshiro obliged instantly.

He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back onto his elbows in a way that would make his abs tighten a little, tilting his head innocently as if he didn't know his core muscles were engaging and making him look a touch more ripped.

She stood, staring at him for quite some time, which made Toshiro smile, glad she was pleased with his body. He stayed smiling too, as she climbed onto his lap, straddling his hips, and he reached back up to wrap his arms around her, her lips meeting his. Tongues were exchanged once again, with the meeting location to be inside his mouth, as decided by the sexy dictator in his lap.

Her hands wandered over him and he allowed his to explore her too, finally giving way to his intense desire to touch her ass to find out if it was really as tight as it looked.

It was.

Holy fucking shit it was exactly as tight as it looked, even tighter if that was at all possible. Toshiro gave it an experimental squeeze and actually groaned it was so toned. It was like concrete, wrapped in such a beautiful package. Massaging it was the greatest thing his hands had ever done in their lives.

He didn't get to pay it too much attention before she broke the kiss and pulled back, quickly pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it over in the vague direction her jumper had gone. Then, before he had even a moment to process her slim, toned abdomen, the woman was unclasping her bra which too was thrown away. Instantly she was out of his lap, standing in front of him and pushing those sexy leggings down her thighs. In only seconds, she had gone from being completely dressed, to entirely naked.

Toshiro stared, taking in as much as her body as he could before she moved again and committed it memory. Rangiku was right; this woman was definitely an ice skater.

Tiny frame; she was extremely slim but in a healthy, athletic way. She had narrow shoulders and toned arms. Her breasts were small but perky, her nipples sticking out just enough to make him want to suck on one which pinching the other. Her subtle curve became more slightly more defined as her waist line pinched for moment before curving back over those delicious and very graspable hips, something he would be able to hold onto when he was slamming himself inside her later, depending on which position she ended up choosing for them.

She was back in his lap and drawing his chin up to kiss her again before he could take a better look at her lower region. He was lost in her taste once again, but only for a small moment as he ran his hands all over her satin skin. He wanted to look at her; he wanted to see the ridges of her spine that he was dragging his fingers over, he wanted to see that ass now that it was free from the confines of the leggings.

_The mirror!_

Toshiro had a spark in his memory, remembering the large mirror that was, rather conveniently, right in front of him – right behind the woman in his arms.

Pulling back from the kiss, Toshiro looked over her shoulder and into the mirror, his jaw instantly dropping and his dick hardening at the image presented to him. The girl looked over too with interest before turning back and starting to assault his neck with her lips, only adding to the tightening in his jeans as he involuntarily bucked his hips a little.

The mirror showed her sitting on him, her tight as fuck butt pressed firmly into his upper thighs, her wet core over his groin but hidden from view, just alluring him with the thought. He couldn't see the bumps in her spine very well though, largely due to the long tattoo down her spine of Japanese characters. It was equally beautiful and badass. He had no idea what it said and sincerely hoped she knew what it meant (he hated when people got foreign characters tattooed on them without really knowing what it translated to), and the idea that maybe this girl liked a bit of ink on her body too was another small turn on.

He traced the characters with his fingers for a moment but the Irish girl continued her administrations down his neck and he lost concentration, especially as she started to grind down on him. He gave a low moan as her heat pushed down over his imprisoned erection. She continued kissing and sucking at his neck and Toshiro tilted his head back to give her more accesses, silently telling her to continue as his pleasure was really beginning to take off.

There was soft and sweet kiss placed on his Adam's apple that seemed out of place compared to all the other lust filled kisses his neck was receiving but Toshiro wasn't about to complain, actually liking the chaste peck, and tilting his head back more. Eventually she found his collarbone and Toshiro's body stiffened as it was a particularly sensitive and arousing spot for him, which clearly the dark haired woman worked out as she suddenly paid it lots of attention.

"Fuck," Toshiro moaned as she ground her hips down onto him while sucking on his collarbone.

She shifted her position slightly and her lips met his again, Toshiro returning the kiss with more heat and desperation, getting close to _needing_ to be inside her. He kissed her hard, as she seemed to choke on a moan of her own before she relented her control a little, allowing him to take over for a moment. He dipped his tongue inside her mouth, trying to taste every part of her, the metal bar through her tongue running along the edge of his own appendage so teasingly, so seductively.

It didn't take long for her control to come swinging back as she pushed him away, breaking their kiss. Toshiro stared up at her through his lustful and very dazed eyes. Gods she was beautiful; her skin was beginning to shine with sweat, parts of her jet black hair sticking to her face, her purple eyes wide with pleasure and lust, cheeks tinged with a beautiful rosiness , lips parted as she panted over him. Fuck, he could probably come just looking at her.

Something moved in his lower peripheral vision that had the Irish woman's mouth opening further as she groaned, the sound coming deep from in her throat. Toshiro blinked and looked down and-

_Fuck._

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_ – he was definitely going to come just looking at her now. The woman on top of him was fucking herself with her own fingers, using three of them to stretch herself so that she would be ready to take him. It was such a god damn turn on, Toshiro placed his hands behind her beautiful thighs, his index fingers sliding in the crease between the top of her thigh and the underside of her ass cheek, and watched intently. No other woman had ever done this in front of him and it was quite a sight.

She didn't humour him long though, seemingly decided they could be doing better things with their time. She pulled her fingers out and leaned back.

"I brought a condom," she told him, glancing over her shoulder, no doubt looking to see where her clothes had ended up.

"I can't use them," Toshiro frowned, remembering the regular sized condoms in the welcome packs which were likely the type she had with her.

Her body froze on top of him, looking entirely panicked.

"I mean, I brought my own," Toshiro corrected quickly, eyes finding hers as she turned back to face him, and rubbing his thumbs soothingly against her hip bone.

"Oh," was all the woman said as he nodded over to the bedside table where he had left Rangiku's little presents.

She climbed over him, crawling across the mattress to the bedside table. Toshiro bit his lip as her ass became his view; fuck, she was so hot. Toshiro quickly pulled off the three rings he wore on his right hand and the one he wore on his left, as well as the Tag Heuer watch, and dumped them inside his shoe which was the closest item of his clothing to him, and would no doubt remember where they were by the time he had to put his shoe back on. He wanted his fingers bare as he was hoping he would be given a chance to prepare her too, since right now he was the only one of the two of them who knew what size she would be dealing with.

Box in hand, the girl sat herself back in his lap before she tossed the condoms back on the bed beside them. She was looking at him curiously no doubt noticing the brand and size of his condoms, to which Toshiro could only flash her a bit of a guilty grin.

He put his hands on her thigh, just over her knee and slowly began to stroke up.

"May I?" he asked, as he got closer to her heat.

"Sure," she agreed quietly.

Toshiro looked at her face, studying her reaction as he pushed two fingers inside her. She gasped and Toshiro hummed silently in agreement, her soft walls hugging his fingers beautifully. She had prepared herself earlier so his fingers had slipped in easily, allowing Toshiro to take it up a notch, pulling out and inserting three of his fingers in.

He spread his digits out slowly, waited a moment and drew them back together, and repeating the process.

The woman gasped again, her vocal indications of pleasure like music to his ears. Her head fell back a bit as she leaned into him for support. Toshiro wrapped his free arm around her to support her body, loving the way she was reacting to his administrations. As a man who had a bit more girth to his shaft, Toshiro was very aware that if he didn't make sure his partner was stretched thoroughly, he could hurt her and that was absolutely the last thing he would ever want to, therefore he was fairly practised in the art of fingering. Sometimes Momo had preferred it to the actual sex, and Toshiro wasn't sure how he felt about that.

His thumb teased the Irish girl's clit, smirking a little as the woman bit her own lip, trying to silence herself.

Toshiro continued with his actions, using his moment in charge to take in more of her body. His other favourite part of a woman's body, other than their butts, was their thighs. Oh yes, Toshiro loved some strong thighs, especially when they were spread either side of his body and he got to hold them while sinking deep inside her, or – even better – when they were split either side of his face, and he was getting to taste her properly, her fingers threading through his hair and pulling just enough to spur him on, her loud moans echoing around the room. The woman on his lap right now had beautiful thighs too – very toned, very smooth, and very strong. Her legs in general were like that, very slender and athletic, hairless, wrapped in a shiny porcelain skin. Further up, her entrance was immaculate, pretty and just out right sexy, even more so with his three fingers pumping in and out of it.

The woman broke his concentration with an odd sound, one that was definitely not a lustful moan.

"Did I hurt you?" Toshiro asked, panicking that he had pushed to deep or stretched too far or even pressed too hard on her clit. His eyes flickered back up to hers, searching for signs of pain.

"No," she answered lowly and very seductively, and thankfully sending a pulse of relief through him before she continued. "Let's get to the good stuff shall we?"

Toshiro's mind stalled for a moment, processing, before he swallowed. Yes, the good stuff, that's what they were here for.

The woman slid from his lap to the floor, and wiped her still wet fingers on her discarded t-shirt. Toshiro, on the other hand, preferred not to waste such perfectly good natural female lubrication, and stuck his fingers in his mouth, sucking on them and licking up the sides. Hmm, she did taste good, both in her mouth and in her core; it was kind of sweet actually, but with hints of obvious arousal. He let mischief sparkle in his eyes as she stared at his actions with wide, surprised eyes. Apparently not many men she had been with had done this, although given the way she sought to prepare herself, chances were not many guys had fingered her in the first place.

It was her turn to swallow thickly, seemingly a little aroused herself by watching him lick her taste off his fingers. As she turned away, eyes settling on his jean-clad groin, Toshiro wiped the saliva off his fingers on the side of his jeans now that her taste was all licked up, and lift his hips a little as she unzipped him and pulled the trousers down until they were completely removed. Her fingers then returned to the elastic waistline of his black boxers, and Toshiro lifted his hips again as she pulled them down too at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Too slowly, the boxers were gone and the Irish woman sat between his legs, just staring at his cock. Toshiro had to refrain from shifting uncomfortably under her scrutinising gaze, the head of his manhood an angry red and dripping with pre-cum, desperate to be touched.

She ran her fingers up the inside of his thighs as she climbed back into his lap, once again straddling his hips. He gasped when she finally wrapped her fingers around the shaft; it looked larger in her dainty little fingers, and even she looked taken back by just how big it was in her grasp.

"We can keep prepping if you want," Toshiro offered, sensing her concern and feeling his own rising as he glanced over her petite form once again. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," she murmured leaning back. "Besides I don't mind if I can feel you tomorrow."

Toshiro choked on her words, entirely flustered at the thought of her walking around slightly bow-legged tomorrow, with him on her mind. He had no words to follow that so sat silently as she reached over him and grabbed a condom from the box. It was nice watching her slide it on for him, something he normally had to do himself.

"Wait," Toshiro called quickly as she went to move over him, remembering the second half of Rangiku's gift set.

Leaning all the way over to his bedside table, Toshiro pulled the small lube bottle from the drawer before returning back to the woman in his lap. He bit off the lid and held it in his mouth, but she knocked his hand out of the way before he could put some in his palm, instead she was offering to do it. Toshiro smirked from sheer excitement and put a generous amount in her hand, knowing it was going to make things a lot easier on the two of them soon.

Again, her palm and fingers wound around his member and slowly began to stroke, spreading the lube evenly around his length. Leaning forward, she took the lid out of his mouth with her own teeth, lips brushing together briefly.

Soon enough, his dick was completely lubed up and the lid was being returned to the bottle before being discarded into the room.

Holding his breath, Toshiro held on to her hips steadying her as she lifted herself up and over his shaft, holding the base of it and very, very slowly, she began to sink down. Toshiro's mind was well and truly short-circuiting as her hot, wet walls clamped around him tightly. He heard her gasp and she slid further down his length.

"Take your time," Toshiro advised, although his voice was like gravel; _fuck_, she was so tight around him.

He felt her slow her pace fractionally until she was seated once again in his lap, his thick cock piercing her deeply. _Oh_ it was so hot.

"Fuck," she gasped, sounding pained.

Toshiro reached out to her instantly, concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, beginning to fret. "We can-"

"Shut up," she silenced him mid-sentence with a groan, her eye lids fluttering open and looking entirely aroused. "God it feels so good."

Staring at her, Toshiro was taken aback by her pleasure, expecting her, but definitely not wishing her, to be on more pain at this point.

"I'm going to feel you all day tomorrow," she murmured softly, looking entirely satisfied with this news.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't help but smile up at her. This woman was something else entirely. Her body was just flawless for a start. The way she kissed and dominated him, the way she took him so confidently. She was painfully attractive and good in bed, with the sexiest little accent he'd ever heard, not to mention she was confident, brave, mysterious and playful. She had a wild streak running through her, and ink down her spine. Was Toshiro falling in love? A strong word, but he was completely taken by her – a million percent smitten with the ebony hair, moonlit skin, and lustrous violet eyes of this mystery Irish skater. He did still have to earn her name though.

She began to move. Toshiro glanced down at where they were connected, feeling her hands grasp his shoulders and watched as she slowly rose up before sinking back down just as gently, his length coming out of her before disappearing back inside her. Toshiro's eyes fluttered closed with the feeling of her heat sliding up and down him.

He glanced back up at her, hoping to lock eyes but the woman was looking away, concentrating on her movements and pace. After a moment, when the stretch must have become easier on her, she started kissing him. Toshiro happily accepted her tongue between his pants as the feeling around his erection was burningly good. Her walls tightened around him and he choked trying to stop himself from crying out. Her hands were in his hair and tugging harshly as her movements became quicker and livelier, pleasure beginning to build in both of them.

She was in charge. She was so totally dominating him but Toshiro loved every second of it. He'd never been able to sit back and just…_ feel_. It was such a turn on, watching her bounce on top of him, fucking herself on his cock, her small perky breasts bouncing with her as the springs in the mattress below them creaked to her tune. All Toshiro could do was put his hands at the top of the outside of her thighs, close to the bone of her hips, fingers splayed onto the sides of her ass cheeks and feel her muscles moving beneath her skin.

Kissing became panting as Toshiro's eyes clenched shut, absorbing the pleasure and taste of her breath as she gasped and panted into his mouth, Toshiro just as equally breathless.

Once again, Toshiro remembered the mirror behind her and pulled back, glancing over her shoulder at the new view he got of their activities. His eyes widened; if he thought the last time he looked in this mirror was good than this time it was a whole lot better. He could actually see the muscles in her ass moving as she pushed herself up and down on his member. He was so badly restraining himself from giving on of her cheeks a soft smack when his thoughts were cut off as he was pushed back onto the mattress hard, his arms spread wide across the mattress.

Toshiro grunted at sudden and aggressive change in his position but couldn't argue with the view he had from down on the bed now. Staring up at the Irish woman, Toshiro had a whole body view of her as she continued to bounce up and down on top of him. She was sweating from her hard work and of course the pleasure, her eyes raking over him, full of thirst and desire. She was wild; pupils blown, hair a mess, and utterly gorgeous, her fucking so full of aggression and lust. Toshiro honestly didn't think he'd be able to last much longer with this view, especially as her hands start to wander over his V muscle.

Thankfully, she decided that she wanted to put his core muscles 'to good use' and changed their position. She rolled off him and onto her back, Toshiro too rolling over her quickly and hovering above her, ready to reinsert and take a bit of his control back.

He was about to line up when she stopped him with her arm. Toshiro glanced up at her confused, but his questions were answered very quickly as she brought her leg right up over her head, completely straight at the knee. Staring at it, completely uncomprehendingly, Toshiro's mind did not quite believe his eyes.

Her flexibility was insane.

Of course, most skaters had to be flexible but Toshiro hadn't really considered that at all when he'd agreed to take her home. It was a nice and very arousing surprise.

Recovering from his shock, Toshiro remembered what he was about to do, his lust hitting a new level and he actually felt a growl rip from the back of his throat, unable to keep his arousal in much longer. Toshiro slammed himself back inside her, hard enough to push her body up further up the bed and getting even deeper inside her than before. It didn't hurt her thankfully, as her pleased groan matched his.

He didn't know how long she could hold that position but he doubted he was going to last much longer now anyway and set about a brutal pace and unforgiving force. She bared her milky neck to him and Toshiro leaned down, biting, licking and sucking her beautiful pearl coloured skin. Her moan was the sweetest, sexiest music as he found her sensitive spot and abused it completely.

Keeping up the pace, Toshiro shifted his weight to one arm and used the other to explore her chest, finally taking one of those perky breasts into his hand and squeezing. He massaged her soft mound for a moment before taking his attention to her hard nipple, flicking his thumb back and forth over it and feeling it stiffen further against his touch.

"Fuck," Toshiro grunted. "I'm going to come soon."

The woman beneath him groaned in response, signalling she was close too. Toshiro wanted to finish them at the same time. He would reach for her clit if he was desperate but he wanted to see if he could push her to climax without it, aided only by his one wandering hand over her breast.

It was a little bit cocky but Toshiro held on, turning his thrusts deeper and faster with more and more force behind them. He used his thumb and index finger to pinch her nipple and after one beautifully timed combination of his efforts as well as a significantly deeper thrust, Toshiro felt the woman's hot walls clamp around him and she cried out, her back arching off the bed a touch. The sound of her cry and the feeling of her clenching around his cock was more than enough to push Toshiro right over the edge, his body stiffening as the condom filled with his warm seed, and his teeth sinking into her skin.

They were frozen together for a moment, staying connected as Toshiro softened inside her and they rode the waves of their aftershocks. When he gained back the cognitive ability to make his body move again, Toshiro pulled out and rolled off, falling onto his back on the mattress beside her, her leg returning to a more comfortable position. They laid like that for several minutes, trying to regulate their breathing once more.

Eventually the room began to cool around them and the smell of sex filtered out. The woman next to him shivered and Toshiro was there immediately, pulling back the covers for her and helping her settle in for the night. He smiled softly as she made herself comfortable in his bed; he couldn't wait to slip in there with her and cuddle up to her warmth, the jet lag well and truly starting to settle in after his very physically active evening. Still he had some life admin to attend to before he could return to her bliss and sleep off the haze setting in over his mind.

Toshiro stood, carefully removing the condom and discarding it and the wrapper in the bin. The room was a mess with all their clothes thrown around the room, not to mention the condom box and lube bottle, but the snowboarder was too tired to deal with it now, he would just have to make sure he woke up early enough to clean it up before Ichigo returned – now that he was actually dating Renji, Ichigo probably wouldn't be coming home so early anymore, so Toshiro was likely safe until after breakfast.

He entered the bathroom and went about his nightly routine, as well as wiping clean his semen-covered member. It took a few minutes but he came out feeling clean and fresh, although the taste of toothpaste wasn't nearly as good as the taste of the woman who had been ravishing him all night.

"Do I get your name now?" Toshiro asked, a bit of a chuckle on his lips remembering her challenge to him.

She didn't answer as Toshiro walked around her side of the bed to flick off her lamp. Her eyes were closed, lips slightly parted and her breathing was deep and even. Toshiro grinned; she was of course even beautiful in her sleep. He reached out the brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, gently tucking it behind her ear. He moved back around to his side of the bed and slipped under the covers with her.

"Asleep already?" Toshiro chuckled, knowing he was speaking to himself before he leaned back and flicked off the other lamp.

Toshiro shifted on the mattress until he was closer to her. He pressed a chaste kiss to the back of her shoulder before throwing his arm around her and settling into the pillows. He wanted to cuddle her closer but refrained in case it woke her up and she wasn't okay with it, so simply having his arm over her was enough for now. Toshiro breathed in the scent of her hair as he closed his eyes and felt the tiredness come over him. She smelled just as sweet as she tasted, completely refreshing.

Toshiro couldn't help but grin into her, feeling completely drunk on her intoxicating being. She was so amazing. He was so honoured to have been chosen by her tonight, although he still wasn't sure what that had been all about. He would ask in the morning, when she woke up in his arms. For now though, Toshiro would just relish in the pleasure of getting to sleep next to this gorgeous woman.

He yawned and snuggled further in behind her, the tiredness from travelling over thirty hours and the overwhelming events of the day taking over once and for all.

Toshiro fell asleep that night feeling light and happier than he had in a very long time, maybe ever.

…

** SwagItMatsumoto**  
_YAS QUEEN! Rangiku leading #TeamAustralia out was perfect._

** Heyhay14**  
_Did anyone else see how Toshiro and Yuzu had their arms linked as they walked? #familygoals_

** LuciaSurf**  
_** Heyhay14**__ they're so cute (heart eyes)_

** Ichibeanx**  
_Yeah they were cute an all but did anyone see how f #k!ng HOTT Ichigo looked?_

** Ichigogogurl**  
_OMG YES __** Ichibeanx **__Why are all the hottest guys gay though?!_

** WhateverTrevor69**  
_Can we all just acknowledge that the speed skater guy looks like he has stepped out of a boy band poster from 2001?_

…

**Hope you all enjoyed the smut ;) **

**Oh and the rest of it too, I suppose xD**

**I just want to quickly mention the bushfires tearing through Australia right now as it is both Toshiro's home country in this story, and it is actually mine too IRL. My home state of NSW has been really hit hard too and it's all a bit terrifying and devastating. The figures keep climbing but I think we've now lost over 10 million hectares of land, an estimated half a billion animals lost, 25 people dead including volunteer firefighters who have left behind young children and almost 2,000 homes destroyed, leaving many families displaced and homeless. Our amazing firefighters and disaster relief volunteers are doing the most amazing job trying to help everyone who have been affected but they need lots more help to fund their organisations. If you would like to donate, I recommend donating directly to the RFS (New South Wales Rural Fire Service), the Red Cross or Wires (Wildlife rescue). Please PM me if you're interested in donating, I can help you find the right places (ffn doesn't allow links though which is annoying). Big or small, every little bit helps. Thank you all so much 3**


	3. Karaoke & Other Embarrassment

Toshiro woke to a very loud knocking.

Groaning, he lifted his head and opened his eyes just enough to identify his surroundings; the St Moritz hotel room. Glorious memories from last night came flooding back but Toshiro was disappointed to find his stunning mystery guest had disappeared, her side of the bed empty and cold, signifying she had been gone for some time.

The knocking continued and Toshiro grimaced pushing himself out of the bed with another groan.

"Toshiro," Karin's voice called through the door. "Get up!"

"Coming!" Toshiro barked back, voice hoarse with sleep.

He stared bleary down at himself and then at the mess around the room of his clothes, the Irish woman's clothes as invisible as the woman herself. Maybe Toshiro had dreamed it? He was very jetlagged and the Irish goddess did seem too perfect to be real. If he had dreamed it then he was very impressed with his own imagination.

Yawning, Toshiro bent down and collected his boxes, slipping them on as well as his jeans. His dream theory was thrown away when he spotted the condom box and the small lube bottle, because unless he was sleep walking now, it was likely he'd really had that mind blowing sex last night. _God damn_, Rangiku had been right. Scooping the items up and placing back in the drawer, Toshiro continued to the door, picking up his shirt on the way and tossing it back on the bed.

Opening the door, Toshiro came face to face with the amused face of his troublemaking sister.

"Good morning," Karin greeted him far too brightly.

"Karin," Toshiro frowned, leaning against the door frame and yawning. "What happened to sleeping in, hmm?"

She had been very explicit in her messages leading up to the Olympics that she was looking forward to sleeping in every day since this was basically just a family vacation for her. After getting up at six every morning for pre-training-training or whatever she called her morning exercise routine, she had been dreaming of lying in bed all morning and Toshiro didn't blame her.

"I tried," Karin chuckled. "My body clock is too strong."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and turned, retreating back into the room, his sister following and closing the door gently behind her. The snowboarder flopped back onto the bed, rolling onto his stomach and burying his face into the pillow, groaning as Karin strode over to windows and pulled back the curtains, revealing the blinding light of morning.

"Get up," Karin ordered. "I wanna go kick the ball with you before Yuzu kills you later."

She threw the soccer ball at him to make her point, the black and white sphere bouncing off his bare back with a dull smack. Ignoring that and processing the last part of her sentence, Toshiro frowned and raised his head from the pillow, grimacing as his eyes tried to adjust to the bright room.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to remember back to yesterday. As far as he remembered, he hadn't upset Yuzu in anyway? If anything, he had helped her at the ceremony when he had promised to embarrass himself more if she accidently tripped – she had even smiled at him! Toshiro distinctly remembered that because it had made his heart swell to twice its size.

"The Rukia thing, you idiot," Karin laughed, sitting down on the edge of Ichigo's empty bed. "Yuzu was distraught, I think she actually cried."

"What?" Toshiro frowned deeper, only more confused. Sitting up, Toshiro rubbed his tired eyes briefly before scooting across the mattress until he was sitting opposite Karin. "Why was Yuzu crying? What Rukia thing?"

"Rukia Kuchiki," Karin repeated slowly and condescendingly. "That Irish skater Yuzu is in love with, the one who is like her greatest hero ever."

Toshiro stared blankly, blinking dumbly. Karin was acting like he was incredibly thick and to be honest, he was starting to think he was (not that he could work out why).

"Yeah I know..." Toshiro answered just as slowly. "Yuzu has mentioned her name like a million times – wait, did you say '_Irish_ skater'?"

Alarm bells rang violently in his mind, visions filtering through his mind of the dark haired beauty with a lust-filled Irish accent sitting in his lap, sucking his neck and grinding his cock while he squeezed her tight skater ass.

"That's right," Karin sung, laughing. "Did you seriously not know it was her?"

Toshiro's eyes bulged; '_her_' was this Rukia Kuchiki girl? The one his baby sister absolutely idolised? The one that had kissed him senseless in front of said sister? _Please, no- _

"She wouldn't give me her name," Toshiro defended quickly, pouting, "and I didn't know that the Rukia girl was Irish!"

Karin burst out laughing instantly, cackling like the little witch she was at times, and Toshiro groaned loudly, holding his head in his hands. _Please don't tell me I slept with Yuzu's hero…_

"You slept with Yuzu's hero," Karin continued to chuckle and grin, reading his every thought, "and _girl_, let me tell you, that kiss was incredible to watch, I honestly didn't think you were the type to-"

"Karin, please," Toshiro sighed, torn between wanting to remember the most incredible kiss of his life and not wanting to remember that his siblings, teammates and whoever else had all been there to witness it.

He wasn't quite ready to believe he had really slept with Yuzu's idol, _the_ Rukia Kuchiki, and reached over to the bedside table where he'd left his phone on charge overnight. Toshiro instantly cringed seeing the messages he had lined up on his lock screen. With a slightly shaky hand, Toshiro unlocked the phone and, after a moment of deliberation trying to decide which would be the best of the three evils, started with the WhatsApp group chat with Rangiku and Yukio.

**Three Amigos**  
**Rangiku, 12:30am: **_Hey Yukio, look at our boy! Aren't you proud of him? (heart eyes)_  
**Rangiku, 12:31am: **_(attached video)_

Toshiro hesitated before pressing play on the video. The group chat disappeared and was replaced by somewhat blurry footage, although it clearly wasn't blurry enough that the viewer couldn't tell what was happening and what was happening was Toshiro making out with the gorgeous raven haired woman. Music blared in the background but the odd cheers could still be heard as the woman shoved her tongue down his throat, Toshiro entirely gone and unaware of his surroundings, his arms around her and pulling her flush against him.

"Fuckin' hot," Karin murmured, having moved to watch the video over his shoulder.

Toshiro choked, gagging on his own saliva, "I'm your brother!"

"Not you, dickhead," Karin punched him in the arm. "Rukia, obviously! If that ass was into girls, I'd tap it in a heartbeat."

"We are not having this conversation," Toshiro cut in quickly, voice stern but alarmed, causing Karin to chuckle again.

They continued to watch the video until the footage final cut just a second before Rangiku had called out to him and thrown him his jacket.

He hadn't even realised she was filming and prayed to every god he could think of that this group chat was as far as this video had gone. Toshiro sighed and, much to Karin's delight, saved the video to his phone. He ignored her sarcastic mutterings and returned back to the emoji-filled conversation which he'd been too busy to see last night.

**Three Amigos**  
**Yukio, 12.37am: **_My boy! (heart eyes) (love heart) (kiss)_  
_You little ripper! (heart eyes)_**: **_I'm so proud of that pash Toshiro Shiba! Who's the lucky chickie babe? (wink)_  
**Rangiku, 12.39am: **_Rukia! She's a figure skater from Ireland! (Irish flag)_  
**Yukio, 12.40am: **_Beauty, I know he's an ass man (smirk)_  
**Rangiku, 12.40am:**___That's not even the best bit! Rukia is Yuzu's absolute hero! The girl idolizes her and literally just watched her brother make out with her and then disappear into the night._  
**Yukio, 12.41am: **_HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (crying laughter x10)_  
_Fair dinkum? #strewth_

Toshiro groaned again, feeling like it was the millionth time as he continued to fall down this bottomless well of internal despair. The conversation continued but fortunately the focus moved as Rangiku and Yukio took to updating each other on the last few days before eventually signing off to sleep, or going to the beach in Yukio's case. Sighing, Toshiro exited the conversation without reply. It was too fucking early for this and a glance at the time in the top right hand corner of his phone confirmed it.

"6.30am?!" Toshiro gaped. "You mad, Karin?"

"Body clock," Karin reminded him, unfazed.

Truth be told, Toshiro was usually up at six every day for training anyway but with the jetlag and time zone change, he was sure he could have been afforded an extra few hours today. Karin, however, didn't have that problem, flying only from the neighbouring country in the exact same time zone.

Toshiro sighed and opened the next message on his WhatsApp list – it was from Yuzu.

**Yuzu, 12.01am: **  
_you slept with ruKIA KUCHIKI?!_

Toshiro cringed. Oh gods, he really had done it. If he had known who she really was before the woman had kissed him, he would never have taken her home – he'd never have risked upsetting his little sister. He hadn't known though, and he also didn't think he'd be able to stop himself if he'd found out her name later, like while they'd been in his hotel room. He was beyond the point of return by then.

**Toshiro Shiba, 6.33am: **_Yuzu, I am so sorry! I swear I didn't know it was her! She wouldn't tell me her name (sad face)_

Toshiro hoped that would explain things enough that Yuzu wouldn't hate him but his fingers hovered over the keyboard again, typing a short question.

**Toshiro Shiba, 6.35am: **_Are you angry with me?_

It left an unsettling and anxious feeling in his stomach. He'd been hungry earlier but now he felt nauseous – the last thing in the this world that he ever wanted to do was upset his family, especially sweet little Yuzu

Under her name at the top of the conversation, it read 'last seen 12.01am' indicating that she hadn't been online since she had messaged him last.

"She's still asleep," Karin supplied, watching his expression, "and then she has to go down to rink for her short programme, you've got a few safe hours yet."

"Does she hate me?" Toshiro asked softly, stomach churning uncomfortably.

"We're not allowed to use the word 'hate'," Karin reminded him; it was about the only rule of their father's that she actually followed, "and no of course not, I think it was just a shock."

Toshiro nodded slowly, feeling not at all reassured.

Eventually, when he didn't move, Karin sighed.

"Look, it's really fine," Karin squeezed his shoulder. "Yuzu will get over it in no time and then she'll be asking you how the sex with Rukia was."

Toshiro frowned at that and Karin only laughed.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past her!" she defended, hands up. "Yuzu's fucking obsessed with the woman."

"I guess," Toshiro shrugged, putting the thought aside for the moment; he had all morning to deliberate on how he was gonna broach this subject with his sister.

"Good," Karin shoved him. "Now get dressed and let's go."

Sighing deeply, Toshiro did as he was told, dressing quickly – he kept the same jeans but threw on a long sleeved shirt and his team jacket. It was going to be freezing out there so Toshiro didn't hesitate to slap on his favourite Quiksilver beanie. He found his rings and watch as he went to put his shoes on, returning all the items to their homes on his hands.

When Karin wasn't looking, Toshiro checked the third notification on his phone – the worst of the three evils; another Instagram message from his ex.

** MH4TS, 02.43am:**  
_U think u can ignore me? Go fuk urself Toshiro._

Well, that was one of the more aggressive ones he'd gotten from Momo in a while. Normally they were just her begging him to take her back but occasionally, the odd angry, somewhat threatening message came through. Toshiro wasn't concerned, tomorrow she'd be back to begging like nothing was different. _Crazy woman_. He blocked her latest account again.

The snowboarder sighed and slipped the phone back into his pocket as the two siblings left the room – Toshiro was sure to check it was Ichigo-satisfactory before he left in case the strawberry came home while he was out – and took the elevator down. On the way, Toshiro couldn't help but pull his phone out again and before he could stop himself had searched Rukia's name in google and was immediately assaulted by thousands of pictures, news articles and website links. _Fuck_, she was really famous! It made him feel like an idiot that he hadn't known anything about her until now. Toshiro opened the top link to a recent article in the Irish times about the small country's Olympic team, scrolling down until he found her name.

_Far out!_ She was literally a celebrity, like way more famous than your average figure skater, and oh so successful in her sport! She had taken gold at the last Olympics! That was such an incredible feat and yet it was just one medal in what was likely well over twenty, if not thirty, all of them the coveted gold. She had been the world number one for four years straight! Rukia's face beamed at him in the pictures below, one including her on top of the podium at the games four years ago. Her career was such an incredible achievement, one she must have been rightly very proud of. She was actually the ice goddess he envisioned, and next to her, Toshiro was but a piece of trash getting swept into the ocean and joining that horrific Great Pacific garbage patch, looking ugly and killing sea life. It was enough to make Toshiro's heart sink; there was no way Rukia would ever look twice at him again and it was no wonder she had been long gone by the time he woke up. There was likely only one reason why she had kissed him like that and it wasn't because she thought he was worth getting to know – if he recalled correctly, she certainly had no interest in talking last night. She hadn't curious about his name or his sport. It made sense, Rukia was literally above everyone here – Toshiro doubted there was a single athlete here who could match her medal tally.

He put his phone away with a sigh as they exited the warmth of the hotel and headed out into the sharp Swiss winter morning. They got coffee from the canteen (Toshiro remembered to bring his Keep Cup, of course) and noticed a bunch of athletes hanging out there despite the time – probably a few jetlagged people unable to sleep – but the mood was quiet, like more than a few were recovering from a big night. Several looked a little worse for wear with one American girl sitting with her head between her legs and clutching desperately to a half-full water bottle.

"That was me at about five this morning," Karin commented dryly, "but I bounced back after a tacky vom and a shower."

Toshiro smirked a little at that – Karin always did go hard and usually paid for it in the morning. Fortunately she was young and healthy and would be good again by breakfast. He himself was fairly similar… unless he had really over done it, then he'd be suffering to well into the evening. Fortunately he was able to sleep most of it off when it was his days off from training.

They drank their coffee (bitter, the way Karin liked it but made Toshiro wince with every sip – nobody made coffee right outside of Australia), and walked around the village until they found an area of concrete which had been cleared from the snow. It was going to be slippery and dangerous, but that only made it more fun and hilarious.

Kicking the ball between each other wasn't easy, especially when Karin fell on her ass on her second hit which had Toshiro doubling over in laughter.

"Fuck off," Karin shouted across from him, flipping him the bird as she pulled herself to her feet

Toshiro just grinned at her and continued to chuckle, feeling his mood lift from earlier and his worries ebbing slowly away. They did their best to pass the ball between them, neither of them brave enough to run and tackle on the ice. Eventually the both seemed to find drier patches on their sides and stuck to them, finally making their stability more secure and their passes stronger. They were only kicking the ball between them but already Toshiro noticed a difference in the way Karin approached the ball, kicked it and trapped it when he passed back. Her stance had changed, even her upper body posture was straighter. She had only been away for seven months but the improvement in her playing was obvious. Apparently training with the Germans had been the career and skill development she needed.

"I noticed you were playing differently today," Toshiro mentioned later, when they sat down on a bench seat, staring across at the Olympic Rings he and Rangiku had been playing on the day before and nibbling on some breakfast from the canteen.

"Yeah I've been getting one on one mentoring from the coach," Karin told him between bites of her croissant breakfast. "She's amazing – played for the national team for four years before she did her knee in."

Toshiro winced; knees were one of the worst long term injuries for soccer players and snowboarders… or anyone, really.

"Oh yeah?" Toshiro hummed, scooping another spoonful of his muesli yogurt combination. "Do you think you'll do a second season with them then?"

Karin went deadly quiet at that, her whole body going stiff. Toshiro sat forward, alarmed, his concerned eyes scanning her face for a clue.

"What's wrong?" he asked, hoping he hadn't upset this sister too.

"They, um… they want to contract me for another three seasons," Karin murmured softly, looking decidedly away from him.

"That's amazing," Toshiro smiled. "Right? You will get such good experience, especially with the one on one mentoring and-"

"I'm going to tell them no."

Toshiro's gushing stuttered to close at Karin's interruption. She was going to say no? That was her dream though, wasn't it? To get three more years of solid association league experience before moving on to Australia's national team. With that experience in Germany, there would be no question about her being good enough for the Matildas.

"Why?" Toshiro asked, leaning closer and making sure to see every flicker of emotion that she might let show on her face or in her eyes.

"I don't want to be away from home that long," Karin answered, voice thick. "I don't want to be away from_ you_ that long."

"Me?" Toshiro questioned, taken aback.

"Especially you," Karin nodded.

Continuing to stare, Toshiro hoped Karin would elaborate further. Of course, he understood about not wanting to be away from their family, Toshiro didn't think he could ever move too far away from home that he wasn't a driveable distance away, but Karin seemed to never care as much about that. She loved everyone dearly but she didn't care for the constant company of everyone. He remembered how much she was looking forward to going to Germany and getting some space and independence for a while. She had always spoken about settling down in Europe somewhere one day, or 'wherever the drinks are cheap'. He also knew that he and Karin were very close and she had missed him while she had been away, but Toshiro had always thought Karin was a touch closer with her twin than anyone else, and that if anyone was gonna stop her staying in Berlin, it was going to be Yuzu. He had also kind of thought that Karin had left to get away from him for a bit, needing the space from her clingy big brother.

"The first month I was away was the worst," Karin eventually continued. "I was really homesick, and then you were acting really closed off and for the first time, I wasn't there to get the truth out of you and that scared me. I had to go through Rangiku to find out about Momo. You wouldn't talk about it."

Ah. _Yes_. Toshiro remembered. He had closed off again as he always did when something was upsetting him, refusing to talk to his family about it. Karin was normally the first person to break him down because she would be there annoying him into confessing, but she had been in Germany this time, and he could simply just not reply to her texts or not answer her phone calls if he didn't want to talk about it, which he hadn't.

"I was ten thousand miles away but I could tell you weren't handling it," Karin murmured. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you during that time."

"Don't be sorry," Toshiro said quickly, trying his best to stay upbeat to show her it wasn't a big deal and he was long over it. "It was fine, I had Rangiku and Dad. I just didn't want to worry you while you were getting settled over there."

"You weren't fine," Karin raised a stern eyebrow. "Rangiku told me."

"Rangiku's dramatic," Toshiro tried his best to smirk a little, "you know that."

"Maybe," Karin sighed, "but it didn't change that I wanted to be home with you, and bloody hell I know Ichigo and Yuzu wouldn't have helped. They probably just made your middle child syndrome worse and skipped off into the sunset without a second glance."

The detest in Karin's voice was surprising – occasionally she spoke about Ichigo like that since they often butted heads, but never Yuzu. Swallowing, Toshiro couldn't deny that was the worst part of Karin leaving. Yuzu and Ichigo were the siblings he'd had left and they were so close to each other, but he was never allowed to be a part of their little club.

"I don't have middle child syndrome," Toshiro frowned.

"You do," Karin insisted. "You always feel so left out, and you're always the first to be forgotten. You are literally that girl from the Brady Bunch, what was her name? Jan or something, right?"

"I'm not Jan," Toshiro scoffed.

"You are," Karin pressed, "and they don't always treat you very nicely, especially Ichigo. It was hard being away from you knowing you were feeling alone and going through something like that."

"Karin, come on," Toshiro shook his head, deflecting. "I'm supposed to look after you, not the other way around. I'm your big brother remember?"

"Big probably isn't the right word," Karin muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes, but Toshiro ignored it.

"If I wasn't a factor, would you stay in Berlin?" Toshiro asked, hooking a finger under a chin and forcing her to make eye contact with.

Karin stared at him, and he met her challenge. He was not going to let her give up on her dream because of him. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Eventually she nodded and Toshiro released her chin, sitting back.

"Then do it," Toshiro murmured. "You can't give this opportunity up for me. I'll be fine."

"I'll promise that I think about it," Karin raised a challenging eyebrow, "if you promise that, regardless of my decision, you'll open up to me more. Be honest and tell me what's going on with you. I'm your sister, you can trust me."

"I do," Toshiro smiled at her, "and I promise."

"Good," Karin nodded.

They hugged again, for a few seconds longer than normal, just happy to be reunited with each other.

Eventually they headed back to the rooms. Toshiro pulled out his phone to text Rangiku to see if she was up yet and wanted to go check out the local town but when he unlocked his phone, he was shown the last screen he was on – the article about Rukia. He couldn't help himself, deciding to do a bit more research on her, looking at her Wikipedia page, a number of gossip articles and a fan twitter page called 'RukiaFansOfficial'

She was twenty-five and coached by her brother… or was it brother-in-law? Toshiro read a few conflicting reports and wasn't sure. He also stumbled across a heated twitter thread about Rukia's apparent hobby of sleeping around. Toshiro read through the comments with a frown – he didn't like what they were calling her or what they were telling her a woman should be doing, but at the same time, Toshiro was slowly coming to the realisation he was literally just one little footnote in her long reference list of sexual experiences and one night stands. It set a heavy feeling in Toshiro's heart that he didn't enjoy – why did he care? Why was she not just some random one night stand to him? Why did his heart want it to mean more? Because she was beautiful? Because she was sexy? Because she had a cool tattoo and incredible flexibility? _Bloody hell,_ was he getting attached already?

Toshiro shook his head, shaking the thought. No, of course not. How could he be? He didn't even know her.

Despite this, Toshiro found his fingers continuing to scroll and tap away at his phone until eventually he found himself looking at the Olympics events schedule, eyes searching for the ladies singles figure skating and bingo – her short programme was today at nine. Toshiro glanced at his watch and saw it was now just after eight. Would it be weird if he went and watched? Maybe if he took Rangiku it would be less weird? They were just utilising their athlete's right to watch other events for free. Furthermore, Toshiro had planned to join the rest of his family at the rink later that day to watch Yuzu's performance, so did it really matter if he was a few hours early?

Before he knew it, Toshiro was stepping out of the shower, and dressing quickly into fresh black jeans, a thin hoodie and his favourite blue denim jacket. Quiksilver beanie, rings and watch – check. He even wore his new Vans Old Skools. In minutes, he was outside Rangiku's room and being let in by Yoruichi who was heading out for some breakfast.

"Ran, get up," Toshiro poked the ginger-haired blob under the covers. "We're doing some research."

"Go away," was the muffled response. "S'too early."

"Karin woke me up two hours ago," Toshiro snorted. "Besides, you'll want to come to this."

"I doubt it," Rangiku yawned, a bleary blue eye appearing eventually.

"No?" Toshiro chuckled, poking her again. "You don't want to come with me to rink to watch Rukia's short programme?"

That caught the strawberry blonde's attention alright, Rangiku's whole face suddenly appearing from under the covers, seemingly very alert.

"Oh, he knows about Rukia then?" she smirked, raising her head a little.

"I do now, thank you very much" Toshiro grimaced, "and I am still awaiting my doom. Let's go make the most of what little time I have left on this Earth."

According to Karin, he was safe until the afternoon, when Yuzu had finished her event.

"You're so dramatic," Rangiku giggled, rolling over and snuggling down against the pillows again. "Give me ten more minutes."

"I'll give you five," Toshiro said firmly, "Be dressed and ready by ten to nine or I'm leaving without you."

It wasn't much of a threat, and considering how comfortable Rangiku looked and how little she probably cared about seeing his one night stand's ice performance, Toshiro didn't have all that much hope for her joining him, but she did. In fact, she was early. It was very unusual, however it didn't take him long to work out why.

"So I spoke to Gin last night…"

"Who?"

"The tall silver haired guy that's friends with Rukia," Rangiku answered as they walked down to the arena. "He's so cute, you have no idea."

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro listened as Rangiku launched into her full recap of her conversation with the aforementioned 'Gin'. Apparently after he had been whisked away by Rukia, Rangiku had gathered the courage to approach Gin first, using what they had just witnessed as the opener to break the ice. According to her, Gin was actually Scottish, a fact that caught Toshiro's instant attention since his mother was also from Scotland, but competed under the Irish flag due to his father's distaste for the English. Interestingly, Gin was also part Japanese, and was a professional snowboarder competing in the snowboard cross events. It was weird that they'd never really crossed paths before, given their events occurred at the same competitions but Toshiro supposed he'd never had a reason to notice Gin before – until Rukia.

"He was so chivalrous and kind," Rangiku gushed openly, "and not once did he try anything on me."

"Well that's good," Toshiro frowned, suddenly feeling guilty that he'd left his best friend alone at the bar last night – what if something had happened?

"He also talked about Rukia," Rangiku said again after a moment, somewhat hesitant in the way she spoke. "He mentioned that she's uh, not really one for commitment."

"I know," Toshiro swallowed, before explaining the bits and pieces of research he'd done earlier that morning, telling her about the gossip articles he'd found and the aggressive twitter fights about Rukia's labelled 'slutiness'.

Several beats of silence passed as they continued down to the rink, the brutally cold Swiss air cutting through their layers with ease.

"Gin did also say that Rukia was acting differently around you," Rangiku offered eventually as they entered the arena. "Apparently, she normally avoids guys she's really attracted too but Gin said she was thirsting hard for you."

"What does that even mean?" Toshiro frowned; why would you avoid people you were attracted to?

His best friend shrugged, "I think it means you're different somehow, even if she doesn't know it yet."

The crease in his brow deepened as he thought about her words. Did that mean he might have a shot if he saw her again? That there was an extremely dangerous thought. That there would find him attached in no time. _Avoid attachment_, Toshiro reminded himself; this was the Olympics, people hook up, not start relationships… or in Ichigo and Renji's case, people hook up for four years and then eventually start a relationship. It was some serious food for thought anyway and kept his mind occupied as they found seats, making sure to save some for when his family arrived for Yuzu's performance later.

They had arrived after the first few skaters had gone, but Rangiku located a copy of the heat groups and performance times and found Rukia was to skate last as reigning champion. They likely had a well over an hour, if not two, before the Irish star was due to perform, causing Ran to groan and complain that she could have slept in. Toshiro ignored her and instead found a productive way to pass time – stalking Rukia's Instagram.

He found her easily and opened her profile up. After reading about all her achievements, he wasn't surprised that she had even more followers than Rangiku, Queen of the Halfpipe and Darling of Australia.

Toshiro inhaled sharply as his eyes skimmed briefly over her photographs. Gods she was so attractive, every time he looked at her she was even prettier. How was that possible? He opened her most recent photo; it was her and her Irish teammates standing in front of the Welcome to Switzerland sign at the airport. Toshiro supposed the flight from Ireland to Switzerland was probably not that long in comparison to the Australian team's monster thirty hour commute, but regardless, Rukia looked beautiful, even just coming off a plane and dressed in the most confronting bright green of their uniforms. Toshiro spotted Gin and Renji in the picture and the other woman – the scary one – who Rangiku later pointed out was named Soi Fon, another snowboard cross athlete.

The second photo had Toshiro chuckling; it was Rukia and Gin sitting at the airport, looking bored as anything as they waited for their flight. Even frowning, Rukia was gorgeous, although that hardly surprised him at this point. She and Gin appeared to be very close, given the amount of and nature of the photos he could see on her Instagram; they seemed to hold a friendship that was equivalent to that of Toshiro and Rangiku's – best friends so close they were practically family. It made Toshiro smile.

Continuing to scroll through, Toshiro opened a number of her skating performance pictures and videos, his jaw dropping a little involuntarily. _Far out_, she was so incredibly talented! That should have been obvious with the amount of medals she had under her belt but seeing the pictures and short videos was something else entirely. She looked so graceful, like a feather skimming across the white ice, and in those little costumes with their short flippy skirts? Toshiro was close to drooling, especially when he found a picture of Rukia demonstrating her flexibility while training, her leg pulled up over her head as it had been last night, once again wearing ridiculously tight leggings. His finger hovered over the little heart icon to 'like' the photo but he paused; did he want to look so desperate? Like he was stalking her and fangirling (fanboying?) over her? _No, _Toshiro shook his head; he didn't need Rukia to think he was pathetically trailing her like a lost puppy.

Sighing, Toshiro clicked back to her main profile and continued scrolling, opening next a picture of some very beautiful, undoubtedly very expensive, gold skates. They were stunning, even Toshiro could appreciate that, with little snowflakes printed on the white boots and a striking golden blade. They suited her, and another picture of her wearing them during a gala skate performance proved that. It also proved that the burgundy colour of her costume looked amazing on her, highlighting the contrast between her pearl-coloured skin and midnight hair. _Fuck, she was so beautiful_. He knew he kept saying that in his head but _god_s was it true – she was literal perfection. It was no wonder why no man had ever stood a chance with her; she was above everyone – she was above the whole world.

"What are you thinking?" Rangiku asked, peering at him curiously over the top of her own phone.

"Just that she's fucking perfect," Toshiro groaned, sliding down in his seat, "and completely out of my league."

"Fuck off," Rangiku scoffed, poking him hard in the ribs. "You're hot and guess who thinks so?"

"My inappropriate best friend?"

"Well yes, but that's not who I was thinking of," she giggled. "Rukia just liked two of my Instagram pictures. Can you guess which ones?"

Toshiro hated to think knowing all the embarrassing photos she had of him but he wasn't actually given a chance to guess as Rangiku was immediately shoving her phone under his nose.

"This one," Rangiku announced, opening up the photo of him that she'd posted on his birthday.

He didn't actually hate that one; he was wearing his favourite denim jacket and running his hand through his messy white hair, staring straight into the camera smiling at whatever dumb joke Rangiku had told him before snapping the picture. The young snowboarder's stomach flipped when he glanced down at the likes.

**Liked by RukiKuchi and 161,891 others.**

_No way_, Toshiro stared at it, uncomprehendingly. She had stalked through Rangiku's photos and liked one of him from two months ago? That's what Rangiku had said right? Rukia had_ just_ liked her photos, as in right this very moment. The white haired man froze, wondering if Rukia might be checking his profile out too and – _oh god_, what photos did he have on there again? Hopefully nothing embarrassing! He was about to go check when Rangiku was pulling her phone back, clicking a few times and shoving it back to him.

"And of course, she liked this photo too," Rangiku smirked devilishly. "My personal favourite."

Eyes bulging, Toshiro's pulse raced as he glanced down, seeing Rukia's account name amongst the three hundred thousand other likes and then back up to the infamous underwear modelling shot he'd done for Calvin Klein.

"No," Toshiro groaned. "Please no."

How embarrassing! It was awkward enough that he'd done the shoot in the first place, more embarrassing when Rangiku had posted a picture online and now – worst of all – Rukia had found it and 'liked' it. _Lord, help me_, Toshiro covered his reddening face. It wasn't that it was a bad photo – on the contrary he looked very ripped and his snowflake and rib tattoos were on display but it was the fact that it was so staged and clearly a modelling shot that was humiliating; like he thought he was super sexy and was arrogant enough to model it.

"Who cares?" Rangiku chuckled, "Rukia has already seen you naked now, right? Why is the photo any different? At least you've got underwear on."

Toshiro could only groan again before a vibration from his phone distracted him enough to glance at the screen.

**Instagram, 9.32am:**  
RukiKuchi liked you photo  
**Instagram, 9.33am:**  
RukiKuchi started following you.

Brain aneurysm, that's what Toshiro was sure he had following reading the lock screen notifications. Mind blank and struggling to process what he was reading, Toshiro unlocked his phone with violently shaking hands and reopened the Instagram app to his notifications.

_Holy fuck_, it was true! It was not his phone having a senior's moment – it was real life. _Jesus fucking Christ _– this was not a drill! Rukia was following him and liking his photos, one after the other, as more notifications started to pop up.

The photo of him and Rangiku swinging off the Olympic rings, one of him cuddling his dog Daisy, another of him and Isshin sitting together on Father's Day, and a few others. She liked them all! Toshiro's brain was short circuiting as the world number one of female figure skating was stalking him online, and actually going to the effort of opening and liking his posts. Then, when he didn't think he could be any more shocked, a notification came through for a comment on one of his pictures, Toshiro's fingers tapping faster than light to open it.

It was a picture of him surfing during a stopover in Hawaii; they'd had a few extra days on the way home from Canada last year and ended up meeting Yukio there to watch one of his competitions. Other than watching Yukio, Rangiku and Toshiro had made the most of their very rare beach trips and caught some waves. Fortunately for them, surfing came naturally due to the very similar nature of snowboarding and skateboarding. In the photo, Toshiro was taking on a wave that was easily twice his height.

** RukiKuchi**  
**I'd be scared of possible sharks! Or do all Aussies get taught how to fight them off in school? :P**

Toshiro actually dropped his phone, stifling a yelp with his hand over his mouth, the phone clattering angrily against the concreted flooring of the arena seating area.

"Shit, Bub," Rangiku gasped, scooping his phone up. "You're gonna smash your screen."

She turned it over and exhaled in relief at the still intact screen, brushing away some of the dirt, before she too noticed what was on the screen.

"Oh wow," she grinned. "Rukia is commenting on your posts now?"

"And liking them," Toshiro added through a strained voice, before shaking himself free and gripping onto the sleeve of Rangiku's jacket. "What do I do?!"

Tugging on her sleeve, Toshiro felt like a child staring up at her with pleading eyes and he couldn't control it. He wanted Rukia to notice him. He wanted to have the shot with her. She was too good for him and way beyond his league but had to try, right? She was too perfect to pass over.

"Reply," Rangiku answered, "and then go comment on one of hers."

"I can't do that!" Toshiro gasped, leaning back, completely outraged by the suggestion. "She could see it!"

"That's the point, Bub," Rangiku laughed. "She's obviously interested in you, give her a reason to stay interested."

Toshiro pouted, taking back his phone. He wasn't good at this bit – the chase, the flirting, the _game_. His talent lay in being a good boyfriend. Once he had them, he kept them (unless they turned out to be psychos but then again, it was his choice to end that relationship). With Momo, getting together had been easy. She was all over him from day one when he'd met her in the hospital. He'd only been part way through asking if she'd be interested in grabbing a coffee with him one afternoon when she had squealed, accepted, cleared her schedule for next day and told him to pick her up from her house at 9am for a whole day of hanging out. The relationship hadn't ended well but starting had been so easy and simple, Toshiro was dealing with something else entirely now.

Another notification came in as Rukia liked a photo of him sleeping at the airport, and Toshiro sighed. What was the harm really? She was liking and commenting on his photos – he was allowed to do the same to her. Maybe she'd even appreciate her follower and likes numbers increasing? Not that one more really made a difference to her numbers now.

"What should I say?" Toshiro asked, clicking the reply button and hovering over the keyboard.

"Keep up the joke," Rangiku advised. "Show your humour."

Literally taking fifteen minutes to deliberate on it, and noticing Rukia had stopped liking his photos now, although it was getting much closer to her heat, Toshiro eventually replied.

** Toshhiba**  
**we do learn shark fighting in school, but only after we've studied how to wrestle crocodiles and box kangaroos ;)**

"Perfect," Rangiku murmured over his shoulder as he asked for her approval and she leaned over and clicked the 'send' button for him before he could back out. "Now go do one of hers."

Toshiro skipped back over Rukia's amazing profile. It was hard to pick just one to comment on, but he figured he could like heaps of them just as she had done with his posts. Before he could decide though, Rukia's heat group was being called out to warm up on the ice, and Toshiro leaned forward with interest, spotting the young Irish woman instantly as she glided out onto the ice with the other skaters. Wow, truly _wow_, she was incredible and all she'd done was line-up and wait for the announcer to introduce her.

"Rukia Kuchiki, representing Ireland," the announcer called her name last and Toshiro was already clapping as the world champion smiled and waved into the crowd. She was very popular by the sounds of things, with many Irish flags waving furiously across the arena.

He and Rangiku watched as the skaters began warming up but Toshiro's eyes never left Rukia. She was still wearing her team jacket so he couldn't get much of a view of her costume yet but he could see her beautiful toned legs and the beginnings of those thighs he loved so much.

There were so many skaters on the ice during the warm up, many of them practicing jumps and spins and what not, especially the Russians. It was hard to believe they weren't crashing into each other. A tall Japanese skater fell while practicing a jump and Toshiro and Rangiku both winced; that would have hurt her physically and mentally. Rukia seemed to skate over to the girl and talk to her briefly, spiking Toshiro's curiosity, remembering the Japanese inked into her spine. Perhaps she could speak the language? They did appear to be friends.

Toshiro found himself smirking as Rukia appeared to shoot one of the Russian skaters a glare before throwing herself into a whole bunch of jumps. Toshiro had a skater sister so he knew the names but couldn't tell one from the other, except sometimes the axel because he knew it faced forward and added an extra half rotation. Rotations he was good a counting, even with the speed of the jumps, because he was used to having to count his own during snowboarding tricks and those of the competitors he was watching. Watching Rukia's jump combination, he knew she'd gone triple, double, triple and maybe the first had been an axel but it had happened too quickly, he hadn't registered it in time. Whatever it was, it was extremely impressive and Toshiro found himself clapping with everyone else and smirking again at the Russian skater's panicked expression.

Rukia then skated over to the rink walls, catching up with the man who was obviously her coach and brother/brother-in-law.

"Far out, she's good," Rangiku commented beside him.

"She's amazing," Toshiro beamed down at the ice as Rukia glided back out and practised one of her spins, her leg once again up near her head, teasing him after their activities last night.

The warm up came to a close and the skaters disappeared off the ice, except the tall Japanese girl who was set to perform first in the heat.

Toshiro kept one eye on the performance as she seemed to be a friend of Rukia's but one eye on the Irish star's Instagram, scrolling through and ending up quite deep in her profile. The Japanese skater was suffering terribly – she was out of time, her jumps were sloppy and she looked on the verge of tears the entire performance, obviously very shaken from her earlier fall.

"Poor girl," Rangiku murmured; all athletes knew how easy it was to get psyched out, especially after a fall, even more so at a major competition.

The performance ended better than it started and Toshiro hoped the mistakes didn't hurt the girl too much. The scores came up and the next skater was sent out onto the ice, as Toshiro's entire attention moved back to Rukia's Instagram.

He saw a picture of a bouquet of tulips and opened the photo curiously. "My favourites" she had commented on them, followed by a heart eyes emoji. _Noted, _Toshiro thought_, just in case._ The white haired snowboarder clicked back and continued scrolling until-

His whole body froze, Toshiro's heart feeling as though it had actually stopped and would never restart.

Rukia, in _burlesque-style lingerie. _

_Holy fucking shit!_

Toshiro opened the first photo – a group shot with a bunch of other girls, all of them in tight corsets and thigh high stockings with the straps. After a quick investigation of the comments section, Toshiro realised this was a burlesque dance group Rukia had once been a part of_. Fucking damn, it was hot._ Toshiro actually thought he might have moaned softly because Rangiku was immediately looking over his shoulder again and whistling lowly.

"Damn girl," she chuckled. "Don't show Karin these, she'll have a nosebleed."

Toshiro ignored that, continuing through the other burlesque photos and slowly dying. She was so god damn hot and sexy, how was anyone supposed to get any work done around her? There was another photo of Rukia by herself, dressed up in the full burlesque outfit, illuminated in a spotlight. _Holy shit_. He saved it to his phone, feeling entirely guilty about it, but unable to stop himself, which is probably exactly why he double tapped the photo to like it too. How could he not?

He scrolled through the comments and frowned, seeing the exact same sort of comments on this post as the twitter. Some people supporting Rukia's openness with her sexuality, some people commenting truly dirty stuff about getting into her stockings, others calling her a slut, but the biggest majority of comments seemed to come from her home crowd, mainly middle aged Irish people telling her she was dishonouring her very conservative and religious country. Dishonouring her country? What about the millions of medals she'd brought home for them? The thought had Toshiro shaking his head.

Now that he'd 'liked' one photo, Toshiro felt a little more confident liking some other posts of hers. He liked a photo of her at VidCon with pink streaks in her hair and a bandana. He liked another, this time a very artsy photo of her, everything greyed out but her purple eyes and matching shirt (Gin was credited as photographer). He liked some of her skating and training pictures, and also one of her on the cover of a health magazine, wearing gym shorts that Rangiku would have died for and which drew Toshiro's attention to her thighs.

It took Toshiro ages to decide on which photo he should comment on, in fact Rukia was almost up to perform by the time he chose one. He picked the one he kept coming back to – it was clearly a promotional shoot for her sponsors DC Shoes (owned by his sponsor Quiksilver, funnily enough), but the way the light hit her from behind and the really genuine looking smile on her face, well Toshiro couldn't ignore it.

He tapped the heart icon and commented, he commented four times in fact.

** Toshhiba**  
**(heart eyes)**

** Toshhiba**  
**The shoes I mean**

** Toshhiba**  
**Obviously… O.o**

** Toshhiba**  
**(wink face)**

"Like you even looked at her shoes," Rangiku commented dryly, smirk playing on her lips.

"Sure I did," Toshiro grinned playfully as he scrolled back to the top and remembered to follow Rukia's account. "DC skate shoes, they're cool."

It was very obvious flirting, pretending he was looking at her shoes while the emojis suggested otherwise. The post was a few months old at this point, likely from the start of the skating season, so Toshiro didn't think too many people would see his comments and if they did, oh well, it's not like it really suggested anything. Just that he was attracted to her but nothing to indicate it was reciprocal or that they'd spent the night together. Honestly if any of her follows even knew who he was he'd be impressed. However, just as he'd had that very thought, another notification came through.

** YuzuAU liked your comment on RukiKuchi's post: "(heart eyes)"**

_Ahh fuck_, Toshiro grimaced, forgetting about the one definite mutual follower they did have. Yuzu was going to slaughter him later.

He didn't get to think on it too much before Rukia was being called out onto the ice. Toshiro sat forward and spotted the woman at the edge of the rink, removing her jacket and revealing the most beautiful costume. Burgundy, like in that picture he saw but this dress was even better – almost completely backless, showing off her tattooed spine, with a high choker-like neck and long lace sleeves that were transparent. One side of the hem was long, coming down near her knee, but then cut diagonally up to the other leg, showing off her toned pale thigh completely.

The announcer introduced her and her season's theme, "unconventional" (very suiting), before announcing her previous achievements, especially the fact she was the last Olympic champion. Rukia found her position in the centre of the rink and Toshiro felt his breath catch in his throat as she took up her starting pose and the arena went silent, waiting for the music to begin.

The music began and Rukia kicked off, Toshiro recognising the song after the first few bars. It was from that Burlesque movie with Cher and Christina Aguilera. He'd seen it many times, firstly because of the girls in lingerie, obviously, and secondly because, although he'd rather die than admit it to anyone, Toshiro was actually a big musical films/theatre fan. He'd studied music all through school and even for his Higher School Certificate, so he had quiet an interest in it.

The song was very promiscuous and sultry which caused Toshiro to smirk a little, watching as Rukia played into her raw sexuality and danced across the ice effortlessly. Eventually the time for her first jumps came along and she executed them flawlessly and then later landed a spectacular triple Lutz (thanks to the announcer for identifying which jump Toshiro was looking at). The triple Lutz reminded him of Yuzu, having heard her complain for the last year or so that she was still struggling to land one. Maybe Rukia could show her one day, or even just give her some tips? Yuzu would die of happiness and surely forgive him then? Toshiro made a mental note of that idea, promising he'd ask Rukia if he ever got to spend time with her again.

The music continued to blare around the arena and Rukia continued fly. She was so smooth and light on her feet (skates?). Anyone watching could tell she was a veteran skating with years of experience under her belt. Toshiro had watched Yuzu skate for years and had always been impressed by her abilities but watching Rukia, it was astounding to see the difference in their delivery. Rukia just had so much control over her body, no matter what jump she threw herself into or what painful way she seemed to contort her body.

Rukia's moves became, if at all possible, even more sensual as the song did too. The way her hands ran over her body and her head was thrown back for a second took Toshiro's mind back to last night, laying back on the bed and watching her bounce on top of him, her lust-filled eyes drinking in his body below her and the sound of their naked bodies slapping against each other as she rode him. _Fuck_, she'd probably just ruined all future women for him.

"Are you getting a boner?" Rangiku hissed in his ear and Toshiro flushed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and folding his hands over his crotch.

"Can't help it," Toshiro growled back, eyes not once leaving Rukia's spinning form. "It's fucking hot."

Rangiku was pissing herself next to him but Toshiro ignored it, taking off his beanie and placing it on the bulge starting to become obvious in his pants, as if that would cover it. It didn't and only caused Rangiku to laugh more and instead hand him her jacket. He'd be mad if he wasn't so grateful.

Rukia's performance finished with a very sultry pose and a wicked grin, much of the arena giving her a standing ovation in response. Toshiro would have stood too, but he was still struggling with the problem in his jeans. Still he made Rangiku stand and clapped as loudly as he could. She'd been incredible! Absolutely amazing! Toshiro had never seen someone fly across the ice like that before. He watched as Rukia and her coach went over to the Kiss and Cry and waited breathlessly for her scores to be revealed.

She was awarded a 78.25 and while Toshiro had no idea how the scoring worked or if that was a very impressive result or not, it drove Rukia's name to the top of the leader board. She had won her heat!

"You should go see her," Rangiku suggested as they watched Rukia disappear out of sight, presumably to the change rooms. "Try and catch her as she's leaving."

"Why would she want to see me?" Toshiro frowned, turning to stare at his ginger haired companion, "I'm literally nothing to her, remember?"

"Bullshit," Rangiku smirked, waving her phone at him. "She reckons you're heaps hot, she'll probably be happy to see you again."

"That doesn't seem believable," Toshiro sighed, feeling those insecurities of her being way out of his league again, even despite her stalking his Instagram.

"Trust me," Rangiku groaned in frustration, shoving him. "What have you got to lose?"

_Nothing_, Toshiro supposed, except maybe his pride and feelings if she rejected him straight up, but Rangiku was right; as far as Toshiro had accepted it, Rukia had been looking for a one night stand; it wasn't as though he was expecting she'd want to hang out again. If she didn't want to see him again, he hadn't lost anything or had higher hopes to be crushed. If she did, well he could only win from there. Though was trying to approach her after her heat giving him hope to lose? It seemed like a risk to him, but Rangiku was practically shoving him out of his seat.

"Fine," he grumbled, smacking her hands away. "Just give me a minute."

He still had a half hard erection that wasn't very concealed in his tight jeans and this was a family event, after all. Rangiku agreed with a giggle and went back to stalking Gin's Instagram, pausing to show him various pictures he'd posted. It was a much more artsy profile, reminding Toshiro of the colour play photo he'd been credited with taking for Rukia's account. Gin also appeared to get up to a number of really interesting and somewhat ridiculous activities – snowboarding in Hawaiian shirts, riding a children's tricycle through the snow, tightrope walking, cliff diving and even parkour in Pokémon onesies. Some of the stuff he even did with Rukia – archery, Segway tours, and a trip to Yellowstone National Park in the US. Rangiku was liking just about every photo, it seemed.

Toshiro rolled his eyes and stood, now that his little issue had been resolved.

"Wish me luck," he murmured, handing back her jacket and putting his beanie back on. "I'll be back soon."

"Good luck, Bub!" Rangiku grinned.

Toshiro made his way quickly through the crowd; many were leaving to go elsewhere and many were coming in to watch the pairs up next. Eventually, Toshiro made it out the main entrance and the one that was closest to the main road up to the athlete's village. He spotted a smaller door off to the side where a number of the female skaters and their coaches were leaving through. Toshiro hoped he hadn't missed her already but luckily, after only a few more minutes of waiting, Toshiro spotted the Irish beauty exiting, accompanied by Gin.

She looked even more beautiful now; her hair wet and tied up messily, her make up gone and face slightly flushed from her hard work on the ice earlier.

"Hey Rukia!" Toshiro called quickly, before she could get too far away. He hadn't wanted to stand right by the door in case security saw him and thought he was looking suspicious.

Rukia turned to him as she heard him call her name, those stunning violet eyes locking with his teal for a moment.

A very brief moment, apparently.

The Irish skater's eyes widened in shock before she quickly turned away and walked briskly towards the village. Any faster and she would have been running. Toshiro blinked dumbly after her, his hand still up and frozen mid-wave, his smile dropping slowly off his face as he processed what had just happened.

Gin threw him a confused and somewhat apologetic look before he took off after his best friend. Despite being so tall, Gin practically had to jog to keep up with Rukia's brutal escape speed.

Hand dropping limply by his side, Toshiro sighed as he felt the crushing feeling of rejection wash over him. As it turned out, he'd been wrong – he did have hope to lose, along with his self-esteem and confidence. He watched them leave until they were gone from sight before Toshiro turned slowly and went back into the arena, head hung.

Returning to his seats, Toshiro found Ichigo and Yoruichi already sitting beside Rangiku, their purple haired god mother poking the strawberry skier teasingly while he texted (Renji presumably). Rangiku caught his eye, her smiling dropping as she no doubt saw his melancholy expression but he shook his head quickly. He was not going to talk about it in front of his family.

Ichigo said nothing to him as Toshiro sat back down but Yoruichi flashed him a coy and suggestive smile that suggested she was well aware of his late night activities. Thankfully any teasing she was about to throw at him was lost as the formalities for the opening of the pairs skating short programme heats began. Not long later, Karin and Isshin also arrived, taking their seats beside Toshiro.

"Yuzu and Jinta are in the first group," Rangiku pointed to her program book. "Fifth to perform."

That was good news. He was done watching the skating for today; He'd already been at the rink for hours, wasting his time because Rukia didn't even want to say hello to him, let alone actually spend more time with him. Most of his family were sitting around him but he was alone. Karin and Ichigo were texting. Yoruichi and Isshin were bickering over them, blind to Toshiro's gradual sinking, and Rangiku was staring at him questioningly, hoping he would somehow telepathically communicate the incident outside to her.

Toshiro wanted nothing more than to escape right now, but he couldn't. He wouldn't. He would watch his sister perform because he was a good brother, even if he had fucked up with Rukia last night.

His phone vibrated and turning it over, Toshiro found a WhatsApp text from the woman sitting right beside him.

**Rangiku Matsumoto, 13.25pm: **_What happened? _

Toshiro sighed, hardly able to ignore the message given its' sender was staring right at him and tugging subtly on his denim jacket.

**Toshiro Shiba, 13.26pm: **_Nothing. She saw me and ran._

Rangiku frowned down at her phone as she read his message but she didn't reply, which was odd because she appeared to be typing a lot, giving Toshiro the bad feeling she was talking about him and not to him, probably to Yukio. Toshiro sighed internally. If Rangiku wasn't arguing what he'd said or making excuses for why Rukia might have run away then she likely thought it was a dead end too, which in itself was another small blow to his esteem.

So he sat in silence, watching without interest as Yuzu's group warmed up and then the first four pairs performed. It was even hard to muster enthusiasm to cheer for Yuzu and Jinta when it was their time. He wanted to, of course he did, that was his baby sister and she was performing so well and at her first senior Olympics, but it was so hard as his mind kept slipping back to Rukia's shocked expression quickly morphing into horror as she clocked his dumb smiling face, and the impressive speed at which her little legs then carried her away.

Yuzu's performance was very good though, when Toshiro was actually able to bring his mind back. There were obvious differences between hers and Rukia's skating – Yuzu was far less experienced and her movements weren't as smooth. Jinta wasn't any better, his lanky limps flailing about at times, but the technical elements they did perform were good, with a few well executed triples in there. Yuzu landed all of her throws and Jinta caught her whenever he was supposed to. They had good synchronisation on the jumps but lost some of it on the spins, largely due to the size difference between them.

Their season theme had been 'strength', and their short program was the story of dying woman saying goodbye to her partner as he struggled to let her go, choosing the song 'To Build a Home' by The Cinematic Orchestra.

The song came to a close and the routine ended with Jinta finally letting Yuzu go, the whole thing hitting a touch close to home when Toshiro thought of his own parents, and that's what Yuzu had been going for. She had asked their dad if she could do it and Isshin had yes. She wanted to tell a personal story that meant a lot to her and Isshin trusted Kukaku would handle the choreography with sensitivity and taste, which she had done. It was a beautiful performance. They got pretty good marks too, or Toshiro assumed anyway, putting them in first place for the group, but they were later knocked down to second by the last pair group in their heat from Norway. Still, they were a shoe in to qualify for the finals if they could deliver the same standard for their free skate tomorrow. Toshiro was going to miss it, however, as he had his slopestyle heat on in the morning.

They all left after Yuzu's heat was done, not bothering to stay for the other heats. Yuzu, Jinta and Kukaku had decided to stay back and watch the other competitors though, which worked well for Toshiro who was still looking to avoid his little sister's wrath.

"You alright?" Isshin asked him softly as they walked back up to the village. "You seem off."

"I'm fine," Toshiro murmured back, ignoring the twisting feeling in his gut. "Just tired."

Glancing over his shoulder, Toshiro spotted Rangiku speaking to Ichigo as they walked up the hill together and sighed. Rangiku rarely talked to Ichigo outside of when she was reprimanding him for his treatment of his younger brother but that didn't seem called for right now, given he and Ichigo hadn't had a problem since they'd been here. A slight smirk on her face and Toshiro knew instantly Rangiku was plotting. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to be a part of it today. Turning back, Toshiro pulled his jacket tighter around him and continued walking.

They made it back to their hotel rooms (thankfully without running into any of the Irish) and Toshiro collapsed on the bed. Ichigo had gone to visit his boyfriend again, leaving him in peace… Well, almost in peace; Rangiku had followed Toshiro into his room and made herself comfortable on the bed beside him. She was quiet which was never a good thing but the white haired snowboarder ignored it, rolling away from her and closing his eyes, the only sound was her delicate tapping on the phone.

Toshiro's mind was a whirlwind after the last two days; thirty hours of flying and airport stopovers, arriving at the Olympics, the opening ceremony, the night with Rukia, Karin's career dilemma, Rukia's mixed messages and the potential for being murdered by his sweet sister. Luckily the jetlag was still pretty strong, he was tired enough to turn off his mind and just breathe through it.

Eventually he must have drifted off because the next thing he knew he was being shaken awake rather violently by Rangiku and the clock had changed from 2pm to 5:30pm.

"What?" Toshiro muttered groggily, frowning up at her.

Rangiku was dressed up, her makeup done, hair curled loosely and wearing the tightest skirt possible with a dangerously low cut crop top.

"Get up, Bub," Rangiku beamed down at him through thick black lashes, her painted pink lips smiling madly. "We're going down to the bar for karaoke."

"Can't I just sleep?" Toshiro mumbled, attempting to roll over but she pulled him back.

"Nope," Rangiku answered happily. "No sulking during the Olympics."

The thing about Rangiku was that while she looked like a girly girl and acted like a girly girl most of time, she also had freakishly strong muscles, which was how she so easily pulled him off the mattress by his ankle with one arm. Grunting disapprovingly at the sudden act, Toshiro only just managed to catch himself before he fell completely off the mattress and hurt himself.

"I already picked out your clothes," she told him matter-of-factly as he stood, muttering threats under his breath. "Put them on and we'll go down."

She gestured to the desk, where a teal button down shirt and a pair of faded charcoal jeans sat folded. Toshiro sighed, defeated easily once again by his strawberry blonde opponent, and went about changing his clothes. Rangiku pulled the beanie off his head and threw it back onto the bed, saying 'if you've got it, flaunt it' but whatever 'it' was, he didn't know. He was allowed to keep his denim jacket though.

"Who's coming tonight?" Toshiro yawned as they left the room. "We can't have a late one with our heats tomorrow."

"I know we can't," Rangiku sighed, pressing the button for the lift, "but we can stay for a couple of hours. Ikkaku and Yumichika said they might meet us there, and maybe even Nanao."

Ikkaku and Yumichika were from New Zealand and Nanao from Canada. They were all snowboarders who trained with them at Whistler during the Southern Hemisphere summers. They were three very different human beings but somehow they all got along very well.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Toshiro and Rangiku stepped inside but before the doors could close, a very quick little blonde was halting them and staring at Toshiro through wild eyes. For the second time in twenty four hours, Toshiro was finding himself being charged at by an angry-looking female and being backed against the elevator walls.

Yuzu took three powerful strides to him and grabbed him by the collar, pulling his face as close to hers as possible, Toshiro eyes wide and frozen; his doom had arrived.

"You slept with Rukia Kuchiki!" Yuzu screamed as the lift doors finally closed behind her, trapping the three of them in the awfully confined elevator.

"I, uh-um," Toshiro stammered, wondering when the hell Rangiku was going to step in, the other snowboarder looking far too amused from the other side of the lift.

"Tell me everything!" Yuzu squealed. "Every detail, go!"

"I s-swear, I didn't know it was her," Toshiro rambled nervously. "I asked her name but she wouldn't tell me."

Yuzu shoved him back against the mirror with surprising strength.

"I don't care about that," she told him, rather aggressively. "I just want to know about her!"

Very confused, Toshiro did as he was told, recounting the story for his sister, but in a much more little-sister-friendly way, if that was even possible. Their discussion spilled out into the lobby as they stepped out from the elevator. It took a few minutes for Toshiro to realise that Yuzu seemed more curious about Rukia than angry about him sleeping with her.

"Well I was more shocked than anything," Yuzu explained as they walked to the bar, "but I think I was just jealous that you got to meet her before me, and angry that you didn't even know who she was but yet she's my whole life."

Toshiro swallowed and looked down; he hadn't thought about it like that and he felt awful. He had taken away such an important moment for his sister right in front of her eyes without even thinking about it.

"I'm really sorry," Toshiro murmured.

"Don't be," Yuzu shrugged. It was nonchalant but there was enough in her rigidity and sadness in her eyes that told Toshiro he wasn't off the hook yet. It killed him to know he had upset her like that.

They continued on in silence, reaching the bar eventually. The blond security guard was working again and Rangiku easily snuck in another bottle of vodka. Inside, they met Karin, Jinta and Jinta's roommate, Steve.

"Ichigo said he's on his way down with Renji now," Karin informed them, holding up her phone to show them the text.

"Great," Rangiku clapped happily. "I'll get the drinks ready."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and glanced around the room. It was early and the karaoke had only just started by the looks of things as a South Korean pair smashed out a Blink 182 song, but the bar was starting to fill up. Rangiku returned with about a million more drinks than he thought they needed, topping them all up with vodka.

"Are these for Ikkaku's group?" Toshiro gestured to the additional drinks.

"Nope," Rangiku grinned. "They're for Ichigo's group actually."

She nodded to the main entrance and Toshiro glanced over, his whole body going rigid and almost dropping his new drink. Ichigo was sauntering into the bar on the arm of his boyfriend, followed closely behind by Renji's three teammates; Soi Fon, Gin and _Rukia_.

"Rangiku, no," Toshiro hissed, turning away quickly and pulling her with him. "This is a bad idea."

For so many reasons was this a _bad idea_.

"Trust me," Rangiku sung as she always did and Toshiro found he had about half a second to roll his eyes before she was turning him around again to face the Irish beauty.

And beautiful she was. Of course she was. She seemed as shocked to see him as he was to see her which wasn't a surprise. Why would she want to see him? She had to be tricked to come down to the bar, just as Rangiku had tricked him. Obviously Rangiku had teamed up with her new friend Gin, if that grin on his face was anything to go by, and possibly even Ichigo who was also looking very pleased with himself. _That was odd_; Ichigo didn't give two fucks about Toshiro or his love life, why would he care if Rukia was here-

"Rukia, this is my sister Yuzu," Ichigo introduced, answering Toshiro's earlier question as he reached passed the white haired snowboarder for the blonde twin and pulled her forward. "She's a pairs skater."

Yuzu was positively pale and shaking as she was suddenly presented to her hero.

"Yeah I think I've seen you around before," Rukia said in that beautiful accent, smiling although her cheeks were a little pink. "You've just moved up from the junior division, right?"

"Y-yeep," Yuzu stuttered, voice the highest possible pitch.

"They just took gold at the Junior World Championships," Ichigo supplied proudly when Yuzu couldn't expand on her answer, "and they came second in their first senior heat today."

"And Yuzu is a huge fan of yours," Jinta supplied, nudging his girlfriend. "Right, Babe?"

The way Yuzu flushed so red could have put a firetruck to shame, but nevertheless Rukia smiled softly at her. As embarrassed and star stuck as Yuzu was right now, this was going to be one of her most treasured memories – one that Toshiro had almost taken away from her, but luckily,_ protective big brother Ichigo was here to save the day_. Toshiro took a long sip of his alcohol which Rangiku kindly topped back up for him; it should have been him introducing Yuzu to Rukia. He should have been the brother to give her this precious moment, but it wasn't, and in fact, he'd ruined for her by meeting (and sleeping with) her idol first.

"Cute," Rangiku cooed, breaking up Yuzu's adorably mortified moment and catching everyone's attention again. "Now how about some karaoke?"

There was a collective cheer of agreement from many of the group, namely Jinta, Karin, Steve, Gin, Ichigo and Renji, and they all moved closer to the makeshift stage that had been set up for the occasion. Toshiro had a very bad feeling he knew where this was headed as Rangiku disappeared for a moment and return a few seconds later with the book of songs they could choose from.

"Fuck yes," Rangiku grinned. "They have 'Hips Don't Lie' by Shakira, that's me sorted if I can convince someone to do the guy bit with me."

"Well, don't look at me," Toshiro said quickly, frowning.

"No, not you," Rangiku agreed, a little easier than expected but then he quickly found out why. "I have a song picked out for you already."

"What?" Toshiro hissed quietly, eyes going wide. "Rangiku I'm not performing anything tonight."

After studying music at school for so many years and regularly having to do performances, Toshiro wasn't typically shy of singing in front of people, unless those people happened to be his family, the woman who had rejected him and/or a bunch of her friends. That was a hard no from him, even if he did have an alright singing voice.

"Guess again," Rangiku smirked. "I've picked 'Rewrite the Stars' from The Greatest Showman soundtrack for you. You love that movie."

"Ran, no," Toshiro argued. "I'm not signing anythi- wait, that's a duet!"

_Oh fuck_, that bad feeling he'd had was steadily growing stronger and stronger. The song Rangiku had chosen was indeed from The Greatest Showman soundtrack, sung by Zac Efron and Zendaya. It was basically a love song, where Zac Efron's character was trying to convince Zendaya's character that they should follow their hearts and be together, while her character tried to fight him away despite loving him too.

"Rukia is going to sing it with you," Rangiku grinned at him, confirming his developing theory. "Isn't that great?"

"What – no!" Toshiro blanched. "Are you crazy?"

"Possibly," Rangiku smirked at him, her eyes wide with mischief and delight at her cunning plan to get him on stage with Rukia.

How did she suppose she was gonna get Rukia up there though? What was she gonna do- pin Rukia to the floor and shove a microphone down her throat?

"Up you go, Rukia!" Renji called loudly and Toshiro turned to see the burly redhead actually pick Rukia up and push her onto the stage, ignoring her protesting kicks.

_Oh, that's how._

The Irish skier then turned to Rangiku, his gaze flickering to Toshiro and back, grin growing even wider.

"You need help with him too or?" the redhead asked as Rangiku latched tightly onto Toshiro's wrist and prevented him from escaping.

"Yes please," Rangiku smiled gratefully before thrusting Toshiro harshly towards the large tattooed man, Toshiro barely concealing his disgruntled yelp of surprise before Renji stepped forward and picked him up effortlessly before shoving him onto the stage too.

Toshiro glared down at his so called 'best friend' (he was going to have to consider demoting her after this stunt) while she just grinned up at him, so far satisfied with her plan. He risked a side glance at his supposed duet partner, Rukia's cheeks almost matching the maroon colour of her long sleeve, short hemmed dress, as she too stared at her best friend, although more horrified than angry.

"Okay we have our next two up and ready," the DJ host called, glancing down at his sign-up sheet (apparently Rangiku had already signed them up). "We have Toshiro from Australia and Rukia from Ireland singing 'Rewrite the Stars' from The Greatest Showman."

The DJ stepped forward, handing them each a microphone which they were both reluctant to accept although the DJ didn't seemed at all fazed by their lack of enthusiasm. He returned to his music deck and started the track. Toshiro sighed and turned to face the screen. He was supposed to sing first, which was going to suck if he got through the whole first verse and chorus for Rukia to suddenly ditch when it got to her bit, leaving him alone and embarrassed in front of everyone. He didn't really have a choice though, he couldn't be the bad sport in front of his family and friends, not to mention the other athletes milling around the bar. He'd have to sing. His eyes found Yuzu, silently asking if he singing with Rukia was okay with her, the blonde returning his gaze with a smile and a thumbs up.

The words came up on the screen and Toshiro pursed his lips as he watched it count him in, since the background music didn't actually kick in until after his second line of lyrics.

"_You know I want you_," Toshiro sung, his voice a little husky having not warmed his vocal cords up but it only seemed to add a bit of raw yearning to it. _"It's not a secret I try to hide."_

The music kicked in and Toshiro could feel the heat in his cheeks. He stared at the screen despite knowing all the lyrics from seeing this film so many times (musicals again, he loved them), but if he was looking at the screen he couldn't see Rukia's expression or that of their teammates watching which is exactly how he preferred it right now.

"_I know you want me,"_ Toshiro continued to sing, cringing slightly at the lyrics that matched their situation a little too well, undoubtly a key part of Rangiku's master plan. _"So don't keep saying our hands are tied."_

The song continued and Toshiro didn't stop, not wanting to embarrass himself further, although he did manage to take his eyes off the screen long enough to glare at Rangiku, noticing now that she was filming it. Fucking hell.

He sang the second half of the verse and then the chorus came, Toshiro started to feel slightly (very slightly) more confident with it, having gathered some cheers from his sisters and a group of Thai athletes in the corner.

"_What if we rewrite the stars?"_ Toshiro sung, voice going higher as Zac Efron's had in the movie. _"Say you were made to be mine. Nothing could keep us apart; you'd be the one I was meant to find."_

He even managed a glance at Rukia who was staring at him, lips parted, cheeks flushed and still as a board. At least she hadn't run away… yet.

"_It's up to you, and it's up to me,_" he continued, raising an eyebrow as he sung the lyrics to her, hoping that she'd get the message that it was, as the song suggested, up to her. She could run away if she wanted, or she could stay. It was her choice, but Toshiro was going to stay._ "No one can say what we get to be, so why don't we rewrite the stars? Maybe the world could be ours, tonight."_

He got another loud cheer, the Thai athletes bouncing excitedly at the other end of the stage. Karin wolf whistled before shouting out 'get it, gurl', but whether he was talking to him or Rukia, he didn't know (Karin called everyone 'gurl', citing it wasn't a class of gender but a state of 'awesome being').

There was a break in the music but eventually the next line of lyrics appeared on the screen and Rukia's part was counted in, Toshiro holding his breath to find out whether she'd actually sing with him or not.

"_You think it's easy,"_ Rukia's delicate voice sung, causing Toshiro's head to snap up to stare at her. _"You think I don't want to run to you, but there are mountains, and there are doors that we can't walk through."_

He stared at her, dumbfounded as she stayed to sing with him, doing exactly as he had done at first – eyes not moving from the screen. Her voice was beautiful, the accent getting lost a little but still sounding very pretty and sweet.

Toshiro stood back and just watched her sing. Her cheeks grew redder but Toshiro was focused on her voice and hearing her sing through the second half of the verse, her character fighting against her love for his character.

"_No one can rewrite the stars,"_ she sung as the chorus hit, her eyes glancing up at him briefly before looking away again. _"How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart, and I'm not the one you were meant to find."_

Toshiro stepped forward involuntarily, only just managing to restrain himself from reaching out for her. Those lyrics were speaking to him; it was hard to know how she really felt but the way she was blushing and so far refusing to meet his gaze told him the lyrics held meaning for her too, that for whatever reason she was trying to fight him.

"_It's not up to you, it's not up to me, when everyone tells us what we can be,_" Rukia continued through the chorus, smiling weakly as Gin and Renji cheered loudly for her and Yuzu bobbed excited in the front row, gazing up at her idol with wide, adoring eyes. _"How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours, tonight."_

The next bit they sung together, and finally Rukia's eyes locked onto his. Toshiro stared into her eyes, the makeup around them highlighting the deep purple of her irises. Her slightly pink eyelids shimmered under the stage lights and contrasted stunningly with the stark black of her precise eyeliner and thick curled lashes. Like she needed makeup to look any more beautiful, but still she was gorgeous.

"_All I want is to fly with you_  
_All I want is to fall with you_  
_So just give me all of you."_

Toshiro tried to pour a bit more of his passion into the song, without giving away any of his desperation for her attention. He just wanted to let her know where he stood, and what he wanted if she was willing to give them even the slightest of chances.

"_It feels impossible,"_ Rukia sung, her expression changing as emotion seeped into her voice.

"_It's not impossible,"_ Toshiro sung back instantly.

"_Is it impossible?"_ she sung back, continuing the rally as her character seemed to relent a little.

They then sung together, _"Say that it's possible."_

It was perfectly in sync, they were perfectly in sync, and even Rukia was starting smile now as she took a small step towards him and Toshiro felt his heart skip a beat.

From there, they entered back into the final chorus which was the same as his first chorus with Rukia's character appearing to agree that they were worth a chance. Whether or not that was true of the singer herself, Toshiro didn't know but he put everything he had into singing this final chorus with her, getting lost in the music, lyrics and her intoxicating scent that was exotic, feminine and highly sensual.

The chorus ended and the song eventually came to its close, Rukia finishing off the last few bars solo as her character came back to her senses and prepared to walk away from him, both hearts being broken. Maybe Rangiku hadn't thought this part through…

"_You know I want you, it's not a secret I try to hide,"_ Rukia sung, her eyes not leaving his as she took a step back from him, Toshiro taking another automatic step forward to stop the distance between them widening. _"But I can't have you, we're bound to break and my hands are tied."_

The music ceased and the audience erupted into loud applause and cheering, the reminder of where they were enough to break the eye contact they were still holding and the small moment passing over them. The DJ collected their microphones and Rukia was off the stage in a heartbeat, disappearing in the crowd. Toshiro sighed and jumped off the stage too, immediately being engulfed in Rangiku's warm chest.

"You did so good, Bub!" Rangiku cried over the music as a man from the Thai group got up next. "Rukia couldn't stop staring and blushing!"

Pursing his lips together, Toshiro decided it was best not to argue that her abrupt exit from the stage might tell another story and instead rolled his eyes and pushed himself out of her humongous breasts.

"I need a drink," he muttered, turning back to where they had all left their stuff by one of the larger booth tables.

"Of course," Rangiku grinned, pushing another vodka lemonade into his hand and leading him back to the table.

When they returned to the table, Toshiro almost turned sharply on his heel to head in another direction; Rukia and Gin were sitting at the table, deep in discussion. Before he could make a break for it, Rangiku's claws were digging into his shoulder and pushing him forward.

"Don't even think about it," she hissed.

Gin and Rukia looked up as they approached, Rukia looking very quickly away while Gin just beamed happily up at Rangiku; whatever plan he and Rangiku had concocted was still going well it seemed. The booth table they were sitting at was shaped like a semi-circle. It had a full bench seat with tall cushioned backs that curved around the table in the middle. It was huge too, it would probably even fit their entire group. Gin sat on the edge with Rukia next to him on the inside.

"Sit," Rangiku ordered, gesturing to the other side of the booth.

"Ladies first," Toshiro insisted, stepping back and signalling for her to pass him and sit in the booth, his bad feeling sense tingling again at the look of mischief in the strawberry blonde's eye. Something told him he needed to be on the edge to make a quick escape if necessary.

"Age before beauty," Rangiku pushed again, smiling sweetly.

"I'm younger than you," Toshiro pointed out, only to be shoved harshly into the booth, Rangiku quickly sitting on the edge meaning his escape route was blocked.

Silence passed over the four of them for several beats as both Toshiro and Rukia sought to avoid eye contact while Gin and Rangiku stared across the table at each other, both grinning wildly. Eventually Karin arrived at the table with a tray full of drinks, accompanied closely by Yuzu who seemed to be staying as close to her twin as possible and, like Toshiro, also avoiding looking at Rukia.

"Shove, Love," Karin said to Rangiku, trying to sit herself down on the tiny edge space.

"Yeah shove, Love," Rangiku giggled as she turned to Toshiro with a challenging eyebrow raised, clearly daring him to stay where he was and make his little sisters stand while there was all that empty space beside him.

Toshiro clenched his jaw, suddenly knowing what the next phase of his best friend's evil plan was. Internalising the groan, Toshiro slid along the booth seat, Rangiku following him which opened up their previous spots to Karin and Yuzu, while closing the gap between Rukia and Toshiro by two spaces. It would only take a few more people wanting to sit down with them and Toshiro and Rukia would be forced to slide over until they were next to each other in the centre of the booth, trapped from escaping on both sides and that is, of course, exactly what happened.

"Move over," Soi Fon said bluntly to Gin as she too arrived at the table.

"Certainly," Gin smiled at the angry Irish woman before shoving Rukia and himself along the seat, allowing Soi Fon to enter.

Next were Ichigo and Renji sliding in on the Irish side. Renji, being as big as he was, apparently needed the space of three people, forcing Rukia and her teammates over until she and Toshiro were less than one space apart. The raven haired beauty seemed to find her drink highly fascinating while Toshiro took to glaring at Rangiku.

Then Jinta, apparently needing another reason for Toshiro to hate him, had the Aussie side of the table shift over so he could sit next to his girlfriend. This time Rangiku physically had to shove Toshiro over, the white haired snowboarder not giving a single fuck if that redheaded punk had to stand or not. He had almost fallen into Rukia's lap too with the force with which Rangiku had shoved but thankfully Toshiro had managed to catch himself just in time. They were now uncomfortably close, like outer thighs touching, elbows knocking and hips connected _close_; Rangiku's plan fully executed it seemed, going off the wicked grin on her face.

"So, Rukia," Rangiku turned her attention to the Irish skater, ignoring Toshiro as he stepped on her foot warningly (Rangiku wore heels a lot and claimed to barely feel her toes anymore, so it wasn't having much effect). "We watched your performance this morning, it was really brilliant."

Rukia's cheeks were dusting pink as she looked up at Rangiku, uttering a quiet 'thank you'.

"Toshiro thought it was good too," Rangiku continued, sipping casually on her drink. "He thought it was _really good_, didn't you Tosh?"

Toshiro went as white as his hair while Rukia blushed furiously.

"Are you blushing, Rukia?" Renji asked, obnoxiously loud. "I don't think I've ever seen you blush before!"

The entire table, bar Toshiro, turned to stare at Rukia. In fact, every athlete in the bar was probably staring after Renji's booming voice announced it to the world.

"Now she's blushing even more," Soi Fon commented dryly but a small sparkle of disturbing delight flashed over her eyes.

"You know what, ah saw her blushin' earlier today. Hmmm, when was tha' again?" Gin chimed in, tapping his chin thoughtfully although it was in a way that was awful staged, like he didn't actually need to consider anything. "Oh that's richt, when she ran awa' fae Toshiro at the rink."

The heat exploded in Toshiro's face as everyone's eyes shifted from Rukia to him. Yuzu's eyes were wide and confused, Karin looked a little concerned for him, Rangiku just looked delighted and Toshiro couldn't bring himself to look over at his brother or the Irish lot. He did, however, sneak a glance over to the woman sitting beside him as she took a long drink, the look Rukia was sending Gin was nothing short of murderous rage, her cheeks bright red.

"Aw now Tosh is blushing too," Rangiku cooed, pinching his cheeks. "You're such a cutie, Bub."

"Fuck off," Toshiro hissed, not caring who heard that but unfortunately only causing Rangiku to giggle and pat his cheek comfortingly.

"Oh I made him mad," Rangiku chortled, pouting unconvincingly before she turned away and smiled brightly across to Gin. "Wanna go dance?"

"Ah would love tae," Gin beamed back.

With Toshiro and Rukia in the middle, and Gin and Rangiku on the outside of them, that meant everyone on the outside of them (which was everyone but Toshiro and Rukia) had to shuffle out of the booth for them to get out. Toshiro almost went to follow, finally finding his escape, but Rangiku pushed him back down.

"She's blushing because she wants you," Rangiku whispered in his ear. "Stay and talk to her alone."

That seemed like a terrible idea in Toshiro's opinion, completely doubting Rukia would want to stay with him but she didn't move when even her side of the booth was clear. Rangiku and Gin ushered everyone to the dancefloor, the lot of them disappearing in seconds. Thankfully the dancefloor was in front of the stage and behind their table. If they stayed in their positions, nobody would be able to see anything but the back of their heads over the booth seat, allowing for more privacy.

"I'm sorry about Rangiku," Toshiro uttered softly as he looked over to Rukia. "She's a menace."

Rukia didn't say anything, just staring down into her drink as the pink of cheeks refused to subside.

What was that all about anyway? Why was she so hot and cold? Commenting on his Instagram pictures and liking them, not to mention the ones on Rangiku's profile too, only just to literally run away from him when she saw him. Not wanting to be anywhere near him but blushing madly every time he looked at her.

"I don't really understand what's going on," Toshiro continued when she didn't, "and I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable, I'll back off if you want me t- what are you doing?"

Part way through his promise to leave her alone, Rukia was slipping under the table. If she wanted to leave, her side of the booth was open, she didn't need to crawl under the table-

_OH FUCK._

Toshiro choked as he felt her fingers fiddling with the top button and fly of his jeans. He barely had time to react at all when she suddenly had his bare cock in her hand, having pulled it out of his boxes. She stroked it a couple times before suddenly something very hot and very wet encased the tip.

Eyes widening, Toshiro leaned back as far as the booth seat would allow him, just enough for him to see two large violet eyes staring up at him and their owner's lips wrapped securely around the head of his dick. He went hard very quickly at the sight.

"What?!" was all he could muster in response, but once again he was ignored as Rukia shut her eyes and sunk deeper around his cock, humming appreciatively.

The vibrations had Toshiro's head lolling limply against the back of the booth seat. He was getting a blow job from the Rukia Kuchiki – _in public_ – while his friends and siblings danced not even twenty metres away. _Holy shit!_

That was more arousing than he thought it would be, Rukia sucking his dick none too gently below the table. He could feel the hard bump of her tongue bar on the underside of his shaft but so far she wasn't using it much, just letting it drag back and forth; teasing him. He had to clench his jaw to stop himself from hissing.

How was this happening to him? If anyone noticed he was sitting alone, they may come check on him and that would just be a disaster. He wanted to tell her to stop but at the same time, that was the very last thing he wanted. It felt too fucking good. Besides, she would likely give up after a minute when his girth became too much for her jaw as every other girl he'd been with had done.

Rukia didn't stop, however. Not after a minute, not even after two. Finally her tongue bar came into action as she used it on all the right bits of him, getting him panting breathlessly. It felt so fucking good, Toshiro couldn't even cope. He'd never had a blow job like this before or at all really. Rukia used her hands too, to stroke the bottom half she couldn't get her mouth around and even groping his testicles occasionally, clearly showing him who was in charge of this situation.

Maybe that's what she needed? _Control. _That would explain why she had been avoiding him and blushing so much, because everyone else was trying to control the situation but she couldn't.

Rukia's tongue wiggled dangerously over the slit of his cock, her tongue bar making the pleasure tenfold and causing him to groan lowly. It was taking everything he had to be quiet and not look like he was getting sucked off under the table to any passers-by but _gods it was so hard_. She was just too fucking good at this.

"Toshiro? Are you okay?"

Toshiro jolted, eyes that he didn't know he'd closed opening widely at the familiar voice.

"Why are you sitting by yourself?" Yuzu asked, standing at the edge of the table and looking at him through concerned eyes.

_Fuck_, this could not be happening to him right now. Not Yuzu, _anyone but Yuzu!_

"Uhhh," Toshiro went brain dead as Rukia continued her torture below the table and still out of sight, seeming unconcerned they had company. "Uh, texting."

"Texting?" Yuzu frowned, glancing down at his empty hands.

Seeing her confusion, Toshiro picked up the nearest phone on the table as if that explained everything. Looking down at it, Toshiro realised it wasn't even his phone. He had no idea who's phone it was, but he played along with it, hoping Yuzu wouldn't realise he'd just picked up the wrong phone too.

"Texting Yukio," Toshiro said, bringing the phone close to his chest and pretending to text, which was hard with the jolts of pleasure shooting up his spine.

"You're all sweaty, are you feeling okay?" Yuzu murmured, putting her knee on the seat and leaning over to him, hand outstretched as if to feel his temperature.

"I'm fine!" Toshiro answered quickly and practically shouting as he leaned back, Yuzu jumping back a bit with fright.

Gods he felt terrible as she retracted her arm, looking lost, but he was trying to protect her innocence. She didn't need to know what was happening to him in this very moment, especially that her idol was the cause of it all. The woman in question seemed to only be spurred on by Toshiro's mortification and daringly hummed softly around him, the vibrations in her throat causing a white hot flash through Toshiro's mind and another groan to escape his lips. If Yuzu looked concerned before, well now she seemed a million times more worried.

"Yuzu, Honey!" Rangiku's voice called out from somewhere behind Toshiro. "Can you come here for a sec?"

_Shit._ Toshiro didn't need to see Rangiku's face to know exactly how delighted she was. _She definitely knew._

"I'm going to go see what Rangiku wants," Yuzu murmured, slipping back out of the booth. "But I'm coming back with Karin because she will get it out of you."

Before Toshiro could protest, Yuzu was disappearing back to the dancefloor. She had looked very worried so Toshiro doubted Rangiku would be able to hold her long before she returned with Karin. Toshiro absolutely could not let his sisters find out about this. He'd rather die.

His hand slipped under the table and he caught Rukia by her hair, tugging her back until his cock fell out of her mouth.

"My baby sister just went to get my other baby sister," Toshiro told her, voice low and warning. "You need to stop now… or _finish me_."

He couldn't believe he was saying those last two words but Toshiro was so turned on at this point, it was hard to turn back. Also Rukia was wild, and it made him want to be wilder. She brought out the irrational side of him.

He waited a beat before loosening his hold on her and Rukia dived back down on his cock, sucking it harder and faster than before, tongue bar doing crazy things around him. Toshiro kept his hand in her hair, encouraging her. It felt so fucking good, he knew he wouldn't take long to finish now, especially as he wasn't going to be trying to hold on for anything. He needed to come as soon as possible. Rukia's hot mouth was moving in time with her stroking of his lower shaft, and soon Toshiro was leaning over the table, burying his head in his free arm and panting against the smooth, cold timber of the table top. His whole body was on fire as Rukia continued pleasuring him, her tongue bar tracing the head of his penis with no hesitation. If she was tired or her jaw was killing her, he couldn't tell because she did not stop or slow for even a second. He came undone very quickly once she started swallowing around him though. One well timed swallow with her tongue bar in just the right place and Toshiro was moaning a little louder than he would have liked, his body going rigid for a moment and semen shooting out of him and into that beautifully hot cavern.

Breathless, Toshiro stayed in his position as he felt Rukia put him back inside his boxes, although his jeans were still open. When he managed to open his eyes and sit back up, Toshiro saw a flash of dark hair slip out from under the table and disappear without even a glance in his direction, leaving him alone and confused. A serious pattern seemed to be forming here.

Sighing, Toshiro did up his jeans and slipped out from the booth, heading straight for the bar. Apparently no one had noticed what had happened as he glanced back to find all the athletes still dancing and singing (Renji and Ichigo were performing 'Crazy in Love' by Beyoncé and Jay Z for karaoke), oblivious to the kinky moment happening right in front of them. Rukia danced beside Gin only a few metres away from him like nothing had ever happened.

Toshiro ordered his drink and turned back, finding Rangiku right beside him and causing him to jump a little. Silent and deadly, that one.

"Did what I think happen just happen?" she hissed to him, pulling him onto the nearest bar stool and once again topping his drink up with vodka.

"If what you think happened was Rukia sucking me off under the table then yes," Toshiro answered, shrugging like it was the most casual thing ever.

"Fuck me, I'm impressed," Rangiku gawked at him but with pride in her eyes. "How did that even happen?"

"I have no fucking clue," Toshiro sighed, running a hand through his sweaty hair. "I tried talking to her but she just slipped under the table and… Well, you know. She didn't even look at me afterwards, she just ran away. _Again_."

"You're upset," Rangiku stated, raising an eyebrow at him.

Toshiro shrugged, "I'm just over it, Ran. I don't want to play games, I played enough of them with Momo."

Momo would whine and whine for attention and then when he gave it to her, she'd act all shitty and ignore him, just to punish him. She'd tell him to go away and when he did, she'd call him crying and accusing him of cheating on her.

"If she doesn't want me, she doesn't want me," Toshiro continued. "There's nothing we can do about that and we should just let it go."

And by 'we' he meant her, Rangiku – the master manipulator.

"She just gave you a blow job," Rangiku frowned. "How can you think she doesn't want you?"

"Maybe she just wants sex, I don't know."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You know I can't do that."

He couldn't, he always got attached and then in two weeks when they all went home, he'd have his heart broken.

"Listen, Bub," Rangiku sighed. "You said you hate games but, whether any of us like it or not, dating _is_ a game, and you have to play if you ever want to get what you want."

Toshiro exhaled and slumped in his seat. He didn't know how to play the game and certainly didn't want to. Why did it have to be so difficult? Why couldn't two people just sit down and have a proper conversation? Then again, he wasn't great with communicating either sometimes. Rangiku smiled sympathetically at him before leaning across him and rolling his sleeves further up his arm; she had this ridiculous theory that men looked more attractive with rolled sleeves.

"What do you want me to do then?" he sighed; hadn't they tried more than enough things today?

"Ask her on a casual date," Rangiku answered, "and show her there is more to you than just a big dick."

Toshiro groaned and covered his face with his hands. Why was she his friend again?

At that moment, there was a yelp of shock and Toshiro and Rangiku whipped their heads around to the sound. Moving faster than possibly any other time of his life, Toshiro jumped from his seat and reached forward, catching the stumbling Rukia, her light weight falling into his chest, his arms quickly securing her.

"Shit, are you okay?" Toshiro asked quickly, helping her to find her footing again before stepping back to scan over her for any sign of pain or injury.

"Come on Rukia," Gin called from behind her. "You haven't even got your skates on."

Looking over her shoulder, Toshiro found Gin grinning madly at her stumble, looking somewhat proud of it. Glancing back at Rangiku, Toshiro spotted her flashing the Scottish man a thumbs up. Had they seriously planned this part too? What, did they push Rukia or something?

"I'm gonna kill him," Rukia muttered, more to herself it seemed and confirming Toshiro's theory as she turned to glare and flip off the snowboard cross rider.

Seeing that she was now fine and stable, Toshiro released Rukia completely and returned to his stool, unsurprised to find his ginger haired best friend had vanished from sight. He turned back to his drink and picked it up, sipping it slowly, feeling Rukia's eyes on him. If she wanted to approach him she could, but he was done initiating anything.

"I'm sorry," she started eventually, voice timid and completely unlike what he saw of her last night. "I'm not very good at the whole conversation thing… I'm better at the physical stuff."

Toshiro sighed and turned back to face her; he understood that in a way, not the being better at physical stuff but about not being great at the conversation part of things, especially in the context of trying to flirt and chase a girl. He was better at what came afterwards when he could just pour his love and affection onto her.

"I just need to know what you want," Toshiro told her. "I need to know if I should back off or not."

He wasn't asking for a relationship or something serious, but he needed to know whether Rukia wanted him to try and pursue her more or whether he should just shut it all down now, put it past them and move on so that they can focus on other things for the next two weeks.

Rukia slipped onto the stool beside him and picked at a bit of chipped wood on the bar, seemingly in deep thought.

"I honestly don't know," she shrugged at last. "I don't want you to back off."

Surprised at just how relieved he was to hear her say that he didn't want him to back off, Toshiro felt his lips twitch into a small smile. Rukia was confused, but she obviously wanted something more from him otherwise she would have just cut him off. Rangiku's earlier words echoed in his mind; maybe he did have to play the game, maybe that's what Rukia needed to see to clear her mind.

Nodding, Toshiro leaned back a little, he had no idea how to play this flirting game but he'd give it a go.

"Ran and I did watch your heat today," he smiled as he changed the topic, remembering her performance. "You were amazing. It's not hard to see why you're the world champion."

"Ah, thanks," she mumbled, a little embarrassed it seemed, "I didn't expect you to be there, I thought I only just saw you outside as you were making your way in to see your sister's performance… What were you doing outside?"

_Ah shit._ He'd been hoping the conversation about her heat would steer clear of the embarrassing moment outside the arena, but alas here they were. What was he supposed to say? What were the rules of the game in this situation? Did he lie and tell her he was just getting some fresh air? Did he be honest with her even though it made him look like a pathetic lost puppy?

Taking a long sip of his drink, Toshiro grimaced. Boy was he bad at the game.

"I just thought I'd try and catch you if I could," Toshiro shrugged casually, settling on a mostly truthful answer but playing it as cool as he possibly could. "Just to tell you that your performance was wonderful, but I knew you would be busy so I didn't expect you to really have time to stop."

_Mostly_ truthful.

"Well thanks," Rukia seemed to relax a little, although Toshiro was unsure what had caused that. "I watched your sister on TV when I got back to the hotel, she performed well. You must be pretty proud of her?"

More than happy for the topic change, Toshiro nodded quickly.

"I'm very proud of Yuzu," he answered, glancing out onto the dancefloor and spotting the blonde girl dancing excitedly with what appeared to be an already hammered Karin. He smiled softly at the twins. "She's come so far in the last year. I know she's still young and a bit inexperienced but I think she has a lot of potential to grow as skater."

"When is your heat?" Rukia asked then.

"I have my slopestyle tomorrow morning," Toshiro turned back to the beautiful Irish woman, "and my halfpipe the day after."

Both of which he was terrifyingly nervous for, not aided by the fact he'd barely touched snow in over a week now. The Olympics training schedule was impossible, especially with so many athletes needing to share the one halfpipe and the one slopestyle course. He and Rangiku would only manage one or two practice runs in the morning before their heats as that was the only time they had been allocated to train. If they qualified for the finals, they would get much more training time between the heats and the final as many of the snowboarders would have been eliminated by the then.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Rukia nodded, "and Irish luck is notoriously the best."

Just then Rukia looked back over to the stage, her attention caught for a moment. Toshiro followed her sight and saw Rangiku and Gin climbing onto the stage and being handed microphones from the DJ.

Toshiro grinned as Rangiku and Gin were introduced and announced to be singing some song from the Fifty Shades of Grey trash Rangiku liked (Toshiro never cared for it but Rangiku watched the films religiously and he was pretty sure those were the only books he'd ever seen her read). Pulling out his phone from his back pocket, Toshiro opened the camera and began filming. He needed footage of his own to send to Yukio; if Rangiku was going to be showing their blond surfer friend videos of him and Rukia then two could play at that game; he wasn't the only one flirting with the Irish.

They watched their friends' performance, Toshiro on the verge of mad laughter as Rangiku really sexed up her performance, making suggestive gestures and staring at Gin seductively, the tall man staring, frozen on the spot with cheeks the colour of beetroot.

Chuckling, Toshiro stopped filming and put his phone away as the song came to an end. He had it, he'd hold onto it, and he'd use it if need be. Yukio would be hysterics if he saw it, Toshiro knew for sure.

Rangiku was brave, he'd give her that. She was playing the game. If she could do that with Gin in front of a room full of people, then surely Toshiro could muster up a bit of courage himself.

"Why don't we make things a little more interesting then," Toshiro smirked, turning back to Rukia. "How about we make a small bet? If I win my heat tomorrow then you have to come on a date with me?"

She seemed to consider his proposal for a moment, surprise overcoming her for a moment. She blinked at him and Toshiro could tell she was thinking it through. He was bracing himself for a rejection but then-

"Alright," she agreed, although she did look a little apprehensive about it.

Toshiro felt relief flood him from head to toe. She was unsure about it but he was going to make it a really great date, one that she would always remember. There would definitely be a date too, because there was no way he wasn't winning his heat tomorrow with this riding on it.

At that moment, Karin came stumbling into him, making her the second dark haired woman he'd had to literally catch tonight.

"We're playing Never Have I Ever," she slurred against him. "Come play and bring lots of drinks."

The soccer player turned and stumbled off before he could protest. He watched with a frown as Yuzu caught up with her and leading her back to the booth were everyone seemed to be getting comfortable. Sighing, Toshiro turned back to the bartender and ordered a drink for everyone before turning back to Rukia and raising an eyebrow.

"Wanna go play Never Have I Ever with them?"

"I'd love to," Rukia answered, the smile on her face nothing short of evil. Oh dear, looked like someone was going to cop it from her during this came – he hoped it wasn't going to be him.

They grabbed a tray each of drinks and headed over to the booth. Everyone took a sip and then Rangiku and Gin were topping all of the drinks up with either vodka or whisky, noticeably filling up Toshiro and Rukia's drinks more than anyone. He and Rukia slid into the booth next to Karin, this time happy to sit side by side. Rangiku winked at him across the table and Toshiro rolled his eyes; _whatever._

"Who's gonna go first then?" Rangiku asked, grinning madly.

"Never have I ever had someone go down on me under a table…" Rukia muttered softly, just enough that Toshiro could hear and the white haired snowboarder smirked, reaching out for his glass intending to take a sly sip without everyone noticing.

"Wha' was tha' Rukia?" Gin called across the table, startlingly Toshiro.

_Don't say it, Rukia, please god don't say it._

"Never have I ever had someone go down on me under a table."

Well, she said it. Nice and clearly.

Toshiro froze, and even Rangiku – the queen of embarrassing call outs – choked a little. Everyone looked between them confused, waiting for someone to drink, as Rukia waited patiently. This was going to be bad for his family reputation, Toshiro knew, but refusing to back out with Rukia sitting beside him, Toshiro gritted his teeth and quickly chucked back his drink, the cold liquid running down his throat to the tune of surprised gasps around the table.

"Toshiro!" Yuzu exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Guurl," Karin whistled lowly, impressed.

"Never have I ever gone down on someone under a table," Toshiro bit back quickly, before any other comments could start, turning to look straight at Rukia. If he was going down, he was taking her with him.

Rukia didn't have the same hesitation that he had, holding his gaze with a cheeky smile as she quickly knocked back her drink.

"Wait…" Yuzu's small voice uttered somewhere behind him, dismay evident as the cogs in her brain ticked over and she realised what had just occurred, eventually gasping a horrified. "No!"

They ignored her, however, as well as the rest of the surprised, amused and impressed looks around the table, and then thankfully Rukia's attention turned to Gin, that entertained grin slipping right off his face.

"Never have I ever done my chosen sport naked," she said smirking and satisfied as Gin's look of embarrassment came over him, probably not aided by the fact Rangiku was sitting next to him, looking highly amused.

"Why you gotta be like tha' Rukia?" Gin mumbled as he reached out for his drink, "Ah thought we were friends."

"Yeah we were, then you shoved me up on stage to do a duet with someone who had a singing voice ten times better than anything I could produce," Rukia glared.

Toshiro wasn't sure if he was more shocked that Gin had gone snowboarding naked, given just how freezing cold it could be up the mountains, or that Rukia was feeling self-conscious about singing next to him.

"I thought you had an amazing voice," Toshiro murmured to her softly, frowning.

"Nuh uh," she turned to him and snarled. "You've got a great voice, a great face, sporting talent, a big dick and you're good in bed, you don't get to be kind too that's just not fair."

Toshiro was taken aback by that, unsure what to say in response as the game started to move on around him. He glanced to Rangiku, hoping she'd know what to do but she just grinned at him and mouthed the words 'big dick' and 'good in bed'. Turning around to look at the others, Toshiro found Ichigo muttering softly into his drink, Renji trying to lean over the table to get a look at Toshiro's groin, Soi Fon raising a bored eyebrow at him, Yuzu and Jinta frowning, and Karin in a fit of silent giggles.

How could Rukia think all those things about him and say it like she didn't match up? She was stunning, good in bed, funny, and with a great voice. She was also the world fucking champion four years in a row and the previous Olympic champion. She was right in that they didn't match up at all, but only because she was perfect and he was garbage.

"Um-" Toshiro went to cut in and set Rukia straight but he was cut off.

"Never have ah ever done ah strip tease drunk," Gin continued with the game, laughing as Rukia threw back her drink, before adding. "Ah even have the video."

Well now that was a video Toshiro wanted to see.

"Don't," Rukia said quickly. "I swear Gin I'll show everyone that video of you snowboarding naked."

Rukia pulled her phone out of her pocket threateningly and Toshiro watched as Gin grew paler while Rangiku sat forward, highly interested in seeing the video.

Suddenly, Gin was saying something to Rukia, but in another language. It was likely Gaelic by the sounds of the words Toshiro could hear. He and Rangiku shared a confused look as the two Irish friends conversed secretly, Renji snorting in reaction to something they had said.

"Oh my god," Renji exclaimed in English. "Never have I ever been fucking trilingual."

This time it was Gin and Rukia exchanging the glance as they knocked back another drink. Toshiro's lips parted in surprise; they knew three languages? That was bloody impressive. Toshiro didn't know any other languages, although he could speak Yukio if that counted?

"I'm bilingual?" Karen murmured, tugging Toshiro's sleeve as he turned to look at her, seemingly asking if that counted.

"I thought you were just bi," Ichigo muttered across the table.

"Sprechen Sie Deutsch, _bitch_?" Karin spat back and Toshiro quickly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side. The last thing they need was for Ichigo and Karin to fire up at each other right now. The dark haired twin slumped into him, muttering but otherwise calm.

"Oh I have good one!" Rangiku suddenly exclaimed, breaking the tension forming and sitting up straight. "Never have I ever… gotten a girl's name tattooed on my ass."

The mischief in her eyes was deadly and the pointed look she sent him had a few people turning to look at him. Toshiro groaned and took a sip of his drink; he should have known that was about to come up.

The reaction around the table was priceless; a lot of surprised gasps, dropped jaws and humorous laughter.

"Wait, whose name is it?" Soi Fon asked and several people leaned forward interested in hearing the answer.

Toshiro felt his cheeks heating; he didn't dare look at Rukia.

"No one special," he answered, sending Rangiku a glare, her name burning into his ass cheek.

"Daisy?" Yuzu asked, tilting her head and frowning; the poor girl was learning far more about her brother than she probably cared to know.

"Not Daisy," Toshiro groaned, although he probably wouldn't put it past him to get his dog's name tattooed on his ass.

"Please don't tell me it was Mo-" Karin mumbled against his side.

"No!" Toshiro cut her off and quickly fired back at Rangiku to distract everyone. "Never have I ever been mistaken for Geri Halliwell."

Rangiku grinned and took a sip of her drink.

"I went as Ginger Spice to a themed party," Rangiku explained. "People thought I was really her, asked for autographs and everything."

"Never have I ever cried at how big a spider was," Rukia went next, smirking at Gin who drank with an eye roll.

Rangiku, Yuzu and Ichigo all drank too and Toshiro grinned; he was the designated spider catcher at home. He rather enjoyed the task, always finding them cute rather than scary before relocating them back outside.

"Oh!" Rangiku cried out excitedly again and Toshiro groaned, already knowing it was another one for him. "Never have I ever gotten a virus on my computer from watching lesbian porn."

Karin grinned and took a lengthy sip of her drink. Toshiro frowned into his own drink, trying to remember the incident while a bunch of people, Rukia included, laughed. Eventually it came back to him…

"That was you, Ran," Toshiro chuckled after a moment, so glad this had backfired on her, "but you used my computer and I almost lost all my assignments."

"Oh fuck," Rangiku groaned, recalling it. She went bright red and took an embarrassed sip of her drink. Afterwards, and still blushing profusely as both Gin and Rukia laughed at her, she shrugged and murmured. "I just wanted to know how it worked."

"I coulda shown you that, Babe," Karin muttered, smirking across at the strawberry blonde snowboarder.

Everyone ignored that one thankfully, and Renji led them into their next one.

"Never have I ever had a crush on Rangiku."

Gin drank, unsurprisingly (although Rangiku did look taken aback), and so did Karin. Again, she was ignored. Soi Fon drank too which raised a few eyebrows on the Australian side of the table. Then, Rukia drank too and Toshiro's eyes bulged as she sent his best friend a wink across the table. Was Rukia being genuine? Or was she joking? _Please let her be joking_; Toshiro groaned internally, he could not compete against Rangiku for a girl because he would lose for sure.

Apparently also a little upset by Rukia's action, Gin threw out another one. "Never have ah ever gone tae the emergency room due tae ah sexual encounter."

Rukia choked on her drink and so would of Toshiro if he'd been drinking at the time; she _what?! _The skating world champion glared across the table at Gin, her cheeks doing that adorable blushing thing again, except this time the context was highly alarming. Toshiro didn't know whether to laugh or not, he didn't know the details. How does one even end up in the emergency room after sex? Or during? Or – just how?! Rukia took a guilty sip of her drink and Toshiro just stared, lips parted in shock. He didn't want to be the one to ask but luckily her teammates ganged up on her for him.

"I think we all need to hear the story of that one," Renji laughed.

"Yeah even I'm curious now, what the hell happened?" Soi Fon asked, clearly amused.

"Nothing," Rukia answered quickly, noticeably avoiding Toshiro's uncomprehending stare.

"Let's jus' say Rukia learned the importance eh slowly working up butt plug sizes," Gin smirked at Rukia, eyes knowing.

Toshiro blinked; had he heard that correctly? Butt plugs… Well, now that was, uh… what?! Had Rukia done it to herself? Had someone done it to her? Should he be laughing with everyone else? Should he be mad if someone had done it to her? Should he be upset that someone else had even touched her? Toshiro frowned to himself; okay no, they were the wrong thoughts to have about his one night stand that he definitely was not getting attached to after twenty four hours of knowing her.

"Never have I ever gotten aroused watching Rukia skate," Soi Fon offered next, breaking Toshiro from his spiralling thoughts but then again, he wished she hadn't.

Rangiku sent him a pointed look and Toshiro grimaced, sighing as he took a sip of his drink. His siblings had so far this evening found out about his ass tattoo, his under the table blow job and other various Rukia-related sexual incidents, so why not let them know about his performance-watching boner? Luckily the alcohol was infiltrating his mind and making him give far less fucks about it. Karin was almost asleep curled into his side now anyway.

Gin drank too which surprised Toshiro; did the tall snowboarder have any feelings for his best friend? Or had she just done something no man could have resisted? Had they kissed? Had they had sex? As far as Toshiro could recall, he had never – not even once – been aroused by anything Rangiku had done, and he'd had his head shoved between her breasts more times than he could count. Although, thinking rationally about it, Rukia's skating today had been highly erotic so he wouldn't have been surprised if a few men watching had gotten a little hot and flustered, so maybe that's all that had happened with Gin?

"Never have I ever had sex in the shower," Renji called out, smirking at Ichigo as they both took a sip.

Gin and Soi Fon also drank, but this time Rukia didn't. She looked as surprised with herself as Toshiro was; she had drunk for just about every other sex-related one so far, something as simple as shower sex should have been ticked off her bucket list years ago. Toshiro himself had never done it either; he'd asked Momo once but she had flat out denied it, never wanting to have sex anywhere but the bedroom.

Maybe… maybe he and Rukia would get a chance to explore that option? He'd have to really kill it on the date then if he wanted to hold her attention.

"Never have I ever been the host for a body shot," Soi Fon went again, the Irish side well and truly dominating this game.

Rukia drank, unsurprisingly, as did Toshiro, Rangiku, Ichigo and Karin (who seemed to have woken back up and was getting her second wind). Body shots were really common at the house parties they had often been to around town. Yuzu looked disgruntled at the other end of the table, muttering about how she hadn't drunk once yet.

"Never have I ever been stopped at the airport for having too many sex toys in my bag," Renji said, and suddenly all the Irish lot all burst into fits of giggles. Well almost all of them, Soi Fon wasn't laughing, in fact she was glaring at Renji as though she was visualising all the different ways in which she could kill him as she slowly sipped her drink.

Toshiro found himself laughing too, again probably the alcohol, but watching Rukia doubling over and clutching her stomach, tears in her eyes as she laughed, well it was infectious. She was so gorgeous, and her laugh was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

"Dare I ask?" Toshiro chuckled.

Rukia eventually recovered and when she did, she slid closer to him, propping herself up on her elbow. Her beautiful violet irises locked onto his and Toshiro grinned at her. The alcohol must have been well and truly affecting them both (unsurprising given how much they'd had to drink) for them both to be openly staring at each other and flirting in front of their teammates.

"Well, Renji is a bit of a prankster, so he filled a spare Irish bag full of sex toys and managed to swap it with Soi Fon's at the airport…" Rukia told him, loud enough that the whole table could hear. "So naturally when she went through security we all had a good giggle."

"It wasn't that funny," Soi Fon huffed as the Aussies laughed now that they all had context for the story.

Rukia winked at Toshiro as she leaned away from him and Toshiro felt himself lean forward a little, feeling a magnetic pull. Gods he wanted her so badly right now.

"Never have I ever taken a shower selfie," Gin added next.

Soi Fon and Rukia drank, high fiving immediately after. Rangiku drank too, and looked around for someone to high five, no doubt missing Yoruichi who would definitely be pressing her chest to the strawberry blonde's now for another one of their 'booby touches'. Luckily for her, Rangiku wasn't left hanging as Rukia reached over the table and the two of them high fived, Rangiku squealing in delight at her newfound friendship with the Irish girl.

Toshiro rolled his eyes but smiled softly; Rangiku didn't have a lot of girlfriends except a few of the snowboarders in her competitions. A friendship with Rukia could be good for her, although it would likely see the both of them ganging up on Toshiro later. Regardless, it was an adorable moment.

And then Karin chimed in and ruined Toshiro's life forever.

"Never have I ever had sex in a nightclub bathroom," she slurred while trying to shake the last the few droplets out of her glass.

Toshiro noticed Rukia drink from the corner of his eye while he watched Rangiku as she tried to take a subtle sip without Gin seeing.

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro turned back to his family, about to make a comment about Rangiku, but that was when the horror kicked in. Toshiro's heart stopped and his smile slowly dropped off his face as Yuzu and Jinta exchanged knowing glances and then slowly raised their drinks to their lips.

"What?" he asked, blinking uncomprehendingly; no, he wasn't seeing that, they were only thirsty… Right? _Right?!_

"What the fuck!" Ichigo stood immediately, glaring at Jinta.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu exclaimed. "Please don't!"

"What?" Toshiro asked again, panic slipping into his voice as he looked at Rangiku, begging her for an answer. She met him with concerned eyes, not at all helping him; she should have laughed and told him it was a joke.

"Jinta, I'm going to fucking kill you!" Ichigo snapped, almost crawling across the table.

"Welp, better go then," Jinta announced quickly, voice high and face paling as he climbed onto his seat and jumped over the back of the booth before taking off.

"Ichigo, please stop!" Yuzu stood, hands on Ichigo's shoulders and trying to push him back into his seat but the ginger haired skier was pulsing with anger.

"Damn Yuu," Karin slurred, laughing as she watched the situation unfold. "Shoulda lied gurl."

"What?!" Toshiro cried, helplessly and shaking Karin's shoulder, the dark haired twin ignoring him completely.

This could not be happening. It simply could not. Toshiro would not allow it.

"It was one time, Ichigo," Yuzu was close to tears now.

Nope.

"Surely you knew I wasn't a virgin anymore."

NOPE.

"I'm nineteen, and Jinta and I have been dating for over two years now."

NO!

"I'll be twenty soon!"

_UM._

"I am an adult and I can have sex if I want to!"

"No," Toshiro said simply, shrugging, as if that changed everything. "No, this is – just no."

Again, he was ignored by his siblings as Karin only laughed while Yuzu tried to hold back Ichigo from running after Jinta. A useless feat since she was half his size and Ichigo was now red with anger.

"I am going to kill him, Yuzu," Ichigo was saying. "Let go!"

He twisted free of her and jumped over the back of the booth, legging it out of the bar in the same direction Jinta had gone.

Silence passed over the group for a moment before Yuzu sat back in her seat, crying silently.

Toshiro was frozen, shocked and trying desperately to process the situation as he stared at the blonde twin and the tears running down her cheeks. His little sister – HIS BABY SISTER! His mind was a mess, thoughts pooling and filling up his brain, completely useless as they trickled over the edge. His sister… his baby sister. He'd only held her in his arms as an infant like… what, yesterday wasn't it? Nineteen years surely hadn't passed since then. Oh god, he couldn't breathe.

"Bub," Rangiku called him back, clicking her fingers in front of his face aggressively as she leaned over the table, "Bub, look at me."

Reluctantly tearing his eyes away from Yuzu, Toshiro found himself being lifted by his collar until his face was mere inches from Rangiku.

"Yuzu is crying, Tosh," Rangiku told him. "Go to her."

"But Jinta… nightclub… s-sex," Toshiro rambled uselessly. "That's my little sister!"

Rangiku shook him.

"Are you a good brother, Tosh?" she asked in a way that suggested he should have known the answer.

"I-I don't know," Toshiro floundered.

Rangiku shook him again, harder.

"Are you a good brother?"

"Y-yes?" Toshiro guessed.

"Yes you are, Bub," Rangiku released him. "Now go to Yuzu."

Yuzu, right. Toshiro turned and spotted the girl hunching and trying to make herself look smaller than she already was, avoiding the numerous stares she was getting. She looked so tiny, like she had when Isshin had brought them home from the hospital. Toshiro sighed; she was hurting, and Ichigo hadn't helped by reacting so aggressively and taking off. Both her boyfriend and oldest brother had run away, leaving her behind to sit in her embarrassment. Climbing over Karin, Toshiro slipped into Jinta's vacant spot beside the blonde twin and wrapped his arms around her, propping his chin on her head. She slumped into him, sobbing against his chest and slowly drenching his shirt.

Around them, various people moved, likely the Irish leaving to avoid the family drama, but Toshiro wasn't paying attention to them, just the little girl crying in his arms that wasn't so little anymore. Toshiro felt so guilty; had he done this to Yuzu? He hadn't been supportive at all, he hadn't tried to calm Ichigo and he hadn't gone to Yuzu's side the second she started to tear up. Maybe he was a bad brother?

Someone cleared their throat and both siblings looked up to find Rukia staring down at them, eyes sympathetic.

"I know what it's like to have to suffer through overbearing big brothers," Rukia spoke to Yuzu, rolling her eyes. "They'll come around because they love you and whether they like it or not you're an adult and can make your own decisions. Eventually you'll look back at this and laugh at how unreasonable they both were and you'll be able to make sure they never live it down or forget it."

Toshiro pouted, the alcohol no doubt making his expression more dramatic. He squeezed Yuzu a little tighter; was he being unreasonable in his reaction?

Rukia then grinned, "Keep having fun in whatever safe way you see fit, and don't worry about your boyfriend, Renji has gone to save him."

"Thanks," Yuzu smiled weakly and gave a small chuckle before patting Toshiro's arm softly. "They're not all so bad."

Smiling softly, Toshiro kissed Yuzu's crown, before turning back to smile at Rukia. It had been very kind of her to say those words to Yuzu, especially as the blonde skater was no doubt mortified her hero had witnessed the whole thing. This was a new side of the Irish beauty that Toshiro was seeing; he'd seen her lustful side, her fun side and her skating professional side, but now he was seeing her as kind and heartfelt. That made her a whole new level of beautiful to him, which surely should have been impossible at this point.

"Yeah nah Toshi is da best," Karin was back, still wasted and swaying as she tried to climb over the booth, even though no one was blocking her in.

Alarmed that she was going to fall and land on her head or something, Toshiro reached one arm out to steady her while the other held Yuzu but luckily Rangiku was back, having been speaking to Gin in background, helping the dark haired twin over the booth.

"Karin, Babe, come on," Rangiku was chuckling. "I'm going to take you back to your room now."

"Oh gurl," Karin's voice went real low and sultry, something Toshiro was hoping never to hear from her. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that."

Rangiku grinned as Karin tried to wink before rolling her eyes and pulling the youngest twin to her side.

"You'll be alright?" Rangiku asked Toshiro who nodded. It looked like everyone was wrapping things up now and so he and Yuzu would no doubt be close behind everyone else.

Rangiku turned back to Gin and smiled, "I'll see you later then?"

"Aye" Gin grinned, eyes lighting up, "course you will."

Rangiku beamed back for a moment before she turned, leading Karin back to the hotel.

Rukia, watching the interaction and in particular Gin's reaction, seemed to sigh for a moment and Toshiro wondered vaguely what that was about before Rukia then turn back to him.

"So, that bet?" Rukia opened, violet locking with teal. "I want to raise the stakes."

Toshiro stared at her questioningly; _oh?_

"If I come first at the end of the free skate heat," she started, "you have to agree to tell me something personal about yourself and be prepared to answer a couple of personal questions… Deal?"

Feeling his whole mouth slowly break into a huge grin, Toshiro nodded quickly.

"Deal," he agreed, smirking a little. "Keep your Instagram messages open, I will be messaging you when I win my heat."

And he was going to win his heat. No question about it. The slopestyle wasn't his favourite event next to the magnificence of the halfpipe and he wasn't as great at it (neither was Rangiku actually) but tomorrow, he would not lose. A date with Rukia Kuchiki was riding on it. And her suddenly wanting him to answer some personal questions about himself? Well, that told him that maybe she was a bit interested in him, even outside the bedroom. Maybe – just maybe – he was in with a shot.

Smirking back at him for a moment, Rukia then turned back to Gin.

"Let's go lover boy," she called before walking off, Gin following behind.

Toshiro watched them go, his eyes following that maroon dress until it was complete gone from sight.

Sighing, Toshiro glanced back down at Yuzu who was staring up at him with an amused smile.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, grin only widening.

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro released her and stood, holding out an arm for her.

"Let's go," he murmured, nodding to the exit. Everyone else had left, except Jinta's roommate Steve who was making out with another athlete over by the bar.

Yuzu gave resigned sigh, knowing she was going to have to deal with Jinta and Ichigo eventually, and stood, linking her arm around Toshiro's as they had done the night before at the opening ceremony. Together they walked out of the bar, bracing the freezing cold, and towards their hotel in peaceful silence. If Toshiro had to guess, Yuzu was likely deep in thought about her boyfriend and oldest brother, or maybe even just about meeting Rukia. Rukia was definitely the one on Toshiro's mind; he was currently planning the greatest date of all time, and certainly would be a night Rukia would never forget.

…

**RukiaFansOfficial** RukiaFansOfficial – 1m  
_Rumour has it our blushing Irish queen has been spending time with Aussie snowboarder, Toshiro Shiba. Is this the start of a new ship? #RukiShiro_  
(Photo attached: Rukia and Toshiro staring at each other as they sing, Rukia blushing.)

**RukiaFansOfficial** RukiaFansOfficial – 19m  
_Lots of pictures coming out of the #WinterOlympics tonight of our favourite Irish team dancing and singing karaoke with Team Australia! Hopefully we see more #IreAussie soon!_  
(Photo attached: Gin and Rangiku singing karaoke)  
(Photo attached: Ichigo and Renji singing karaoke)  
(Photo attached: the group sitting in the booth, laughing and drinking)


	4. Bet On It

**APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY! WE FORGOT / WERE VERY BUSY. **

**This is one of my favourite chapters, so please enjoy! Also remember to read LethanWolf's Rukia POV to get both sides of the story :) **

…

"Alright, I've got the program," Isshin announced as he returned to his two athletes. "The women's heats are first of course, then there is a short break before the men's competition."

Toshiro and Rangiku nodded up at him from where they sat on their boards in the snow, eating orange slices and waiting for the heats to begin. They had been up at God knows what hour (it had still been dark) and travelled up the mountain for their very brief training time allocation. It had been over a week since they had trained on actual snow so naturally their first runs had been a little stiff and rusty but the following ones had been good, effectively warming them up and reminding their bodies of their muscle memory.

"Your run is last in the first women's heat, Rangiku," Isshin continued, squatting down to their level, his coach's pass dangling down from around his neck. "Toshiro, your run is second last in the second men's heat."

His father handed him the program and Rangiku leaned over to get a better look at running order. To qualify for the Olympics, a snowboarder had to be in either the top thirty women in the world for the slopestyle and/or big air events combined, or the top forty men in the world for the same combined events. Competing in the slopestyle event that day would be twenty six women and thirty-seven men. There were two heats in each competition, two groups of thirteen in the women's, and a group of eighteen and a group of nineteen for the men. Each athlete would get two runs today, with the best score out of both becoming their final score for the day and would determine whether they qualified for the finals, where the top six in each heat would progress.

"Nanao is in heat two," she murmured before frowning. "Tatsuki too."

Tatsuki Arisawa, from the U.S., was the last Olympic slopestyle champion, only narrowly defeating Rangiku for the gold four years ago. Since then, she and Rangiku had developed a bit of a rivalry, with slopestyle gold bouncing between them from competition to competition. Tatsuki also competed in the half pipe, but had never defeated Rangiku there. Toshiro had always found their relationship interesting; sometimes they acted like they hated each other and lord knows Rangiku could talk some shit about the short haired American girl but then other times he would find them hanging out together peacefully and sharing a Pina Colada at the bar. They were frenemies, he supposed.

Nanao Ise, on the other hand, was very good friends with Rangiku, no matter how close she was from stealing the golden crown off her long strawberry blonde locks. Nanao was Canadian, training at Whistler and then at Thredbo with them during Canadian summer, and so naturally she was the nicest person they knew. She was a little stiff, especially on rules, easily embarrassed and rather proper, despite the laidback nature of their sport, but she was undoubtedly very kind. She only competed in the slopestyle event, however.

"I have Yumichika in my heat," Toshiro added, glancing down to the list, "Grimmjow too. Ikkaku's dropped slopestyle for big air this season."

Ikkaku and Yumichika were the New Zealand snowboarders who trained at Whistler too and had also become close friends with Toshiro and Rangiku. They were polar opposites; Ikkaku was rough and brutal, and Yumichika was elegant and graceful, but somehow they still got along. There had been rumours going around for some time that they dating as Yumichika was openly gay but that was not the case. Ikkaku was straight as anything but they were still best friends. Yumichika and Ikkaku were both competing in the big air event, while Yumichika also competed in the slopestyle and Ikkaku in the halfpipe. They were all friends, but they were also easily Toshiro's biggest competitions in both events.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the American champion, was also a huge threat to Toshiro's competition. He was the Winter X Games gold medallist for the slopestyle this year but he was inconsistent. When he was having a good day, no one could beat him, but when he was having a bad day, it was anyone's game.

"You and Grimmjow in the same heat," Rangiku whistle. "You better beat him or you'll lose your bet."

Yes the bet he'd made last night with Rukia Kuchiki – if he won his heat today, she would have to go on a date with him. If he lost… well, she wouldn't have to go on a date with him and Toshiro would be down to zero excuses to hang out with her.

Isshin sighed, resigned. "Is this a bet I want to know about or not?"

"Toshiro's got a date," Rangiku answered quickly, voice dripping with excitement, "with Rukia Kuchiki of all girls, but he has to win his heat first."

"Isn't that Yuzu's idol?" Isshin clarified, glancing at Toshiro while the white haired snowboard sent his best friend a glare.

"Yes," Toshiro sighed, shifting uncomfortably. "Yuzu said it was okay."

Yuzu had indeed given her blessing for him to take Rukia on a date last night as they rode the elevator back to their hotel rooms. In fact, she had been very much in support of it, despite her apparent meltdown about it the night before. Toshiro was not sure where this change of heart had come from, but he wasn't going to argue it.

The dark brown eyes of his father regarded him for a moment, curious and yet cautious. Toshiro felt himself unconsciously shrinking away, his natural reaction after years and years of closing himself off and hiding himself away from the man he loved more than anything else in the world. Every time Toshiro got to make a wish – birthdays, shooting stars, fallen eyelashes, every possible opportunity – he wished that he and Isshin could have the relationship he wanted for them. He wished he could tell his dad these things – these things involving his stupid feelings – and he knew that the responsibility of starting this relationship was on him but every time he went to open his mouth about something that had made him happy or sad, or even angry, he just… _couldn't_. A voice in his head told him not to share anything he wasn't asked to share, and even then to water it down to a meaningless nothing-answer. The voice told him not to distract Isshin from his other kids, just in case they needed him, and not to distract him from Rangiku AKA the reason he makes a living. Not being able to talk to his own father left a permanent sickening feeling in his stomach.

"Would she still go out with you if you didn't win?" Isshin asked eventually, voice lower than before.

Toshiro shrugged casually, "I don't know."

But he did know. Rukia wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't even win himself a silly little heat. She would likely move on to the next eligible bachelor who did have a gold medal. Even Yuzu, Rukia's biggest supporter, made sure to warn him last night.

"Rukia doesn't settle," she had told him as elevator dinged and the doors slid slowly open, "just keep that in mind."

"Well then," Isshin exhaled, standing back up, "I guess you better win your heat."

Nodding slowly in agreeance, Toshiro's mind was already in his run, mapping out the course in his head and working out which rails he'd use and which ramps would be most appropriate for his jumps. Snowboarding trick-based events, such as the halfpipe and slopestyle were judged on a number of elements, the main three being the tricks themselves (difficulty and execution), amplitude (height reached during a trick) and flavour (personal style).

He had to beat Yumichika who, while he'd also never been to the Olympics, had really begun to shine over the last few years with very precise technical elements to his runs. He held back on his tricks throughout the heats, more so than other competitors, usually only just qualifying for the finals, but would then pull out very difficult tricks in the finals, all executed flawlessly, and surprising the hell out of the audience. Having trained with the man at Whistler for years now and competed alongside him at multiple competitions, Toshiro had the advantage of knowing exactly what the New Zealander was capable of. He also knew his weaknesses; Like Toshiro, Yumichika was smaller than the other snowboarders, more in weight and leanness than height, which meant neither of them could get the amplitude points of bigger snowboarders. Yumichika also lacked flavour or a personal style which was also important to scoring. He focused just on tricks, execution and flow, which was good enough to beat most, however Toshiro knew that if his own tricks were just as good, it would be his flavour that pushed him over the line.

Fortunately, Yumichika was to run just before him, as Toshiro had beaten him at the X Games last month, which gave him the advantage of changing his run last minute to beat him. Slopestyle was creative like that, and extremely freestyle. The course changed from venue to venue, meaning there was lots of adapting to be had.

Grimmjow, on the other hand, was a far bigger risk. He rarely held back like Yumichika did, and worse, he was to complete his run after Toshiro, meaning he had the advantage of changing his run last minute to win. Toshiro's only hope was that today would be one of Grimmjow's off days.

Deep in thought, Toshiro continued to eat the orange slices Isshin had cut up for their breakfast, knowing his second son couldn't stomach much more than that just before a competition (unlike Rangiku who could probably eat a whole cow, no matter the situation). Rangiku and Isshin spoke quietly, pointing out to the slopestyle course and making decisions on which elements she would throw in where. Eventually though, as the crowds and media rolled in and officials walked by briskly with frantic expressions, the women's competition was announced to begin.

Karin eventually arrived, looking a little worse for wear as her hangover apparently hadn't left her yet (it was still early), her coach's assistant pass getting her into the athletes' area.

"Nice of you to join us," Isshin raised an eyebrow at her appearance as Toshiro and Rangiku stood and picked up their snowboards, goggles and helmets.

"Sorry, Dad," she groaned, clenching her eyes shut and holding her fingers to her temple. "I promise I'm suffering."

Sighing, Isshin shook his head before gesturing Karin to help Rangiku with her board.

"You might as well assist since you're wearing the pass."

The four of them walked up the rest of the slope to the top where the other sixty odd athletes were milling around. Many of the men were sitting comfortably or talking strategy with their coaches but the women, due to perform first, were up and about, some bouncing excitedly, some trying to physically hold themselves together as nervousness showed on their faces.

Isshin and Rangiku went to get her Olympics bib and work on her stretching and warm up routine before her heat was called up. Toshiro and Karin sat where they could watch the runs with a few interested male competitors, although many were happy to miss the show, sitting with earphones in and blocking out the rest of the world.

"What even happened last night?" Karin groaned again, slumping against his shoulder. "I remember you and Rukia singing karaoke together and that's it."

"That was literally the first thing we did at the bar," Toshiro frowned, only for Karin to groan again, louder this time.

Taking pity upon her, Toshiro explained the events of night, easily excluding many of the details surrounding his and Rukia's interactions that evening, but of course he had to mention that dramatic end to Never Have I Ever. He still wasn't completely okay with it, not that he'd tell Yuzu that or in any way try and restrict her freedom, nor would he punch Jinta in the face the next time he saw him but he'd bloody well imagine it in his mind. He knew it was something he would have to get over eventually, but for the meantime, he just needed to suppress his emotions and act supportively, if only for Yuzu's sake. He had gotten over learning about Karin's loss of virginity a long time ago (she had been barely legal when she just came out right and told him. Toshiro may or may not have actually punched that guy in the face, and luckily Karin turned to girls not long after, which for some reason settled Toshiro's mind a little more).

"Oh that explains the Ichigo thing," Karin muttered eventually.

"What Ichigo thing?" Toshiro asked, glancing down at her.

"Well I figured he and Yuzu had a fight or something last night," Karin muttered, "but they were super cuddly and gross this morning so they've obviously made up again. Yuzu has gone to watch his heat this morning before her free skate."

The aerial skiing heat for the men was on this morning as well, at the same time as the slopestyle heats.

Silent, Toshiro processed the information that was a bit of a blow to his heart. Of course Ichigo was the favourite again. No matter how he fucked up, Ichigo was always number one in her eyes; forget the fact he'd threatened to kill her boyfriend and chased him out of the bar, literally leaving her in tears in front of everyone including her hero, forget the fact he'd met them in the hallway when they had gone back to the rooms and he told her he couldn't even look at her right now, and forget the fact he had ignored her as she cried and called out to him as he slammed the door in her face (and locked Toshiro out, leaving him spending the night in Karin's bed – she kicked, by the way). Toshiro, on the other hand, no matter how hard he tried or the things he did for her, was always second rate to Yuzu, never winning over the hero that was their older brother.

Another groan beside him reminded Toshiro that he still had Karin, who usually did pick him over Ichigo, and while he appreciated every part of her presence, he still had a nagging feeling in his head that she only chose him because she felt sorry for him, knowing Yuzu never would. It was the same part of him that thought she had just moved to Germany to get away from him. It was completely irrational, he knew that when he thought logically, but it still sat in the back of his mind, looming ominously. Karin didn't have the same idolizing tendencies that Yuzu had with Ichigo, nor was she as affectionate (other than leaning on his shoulder and the occasional hug), but she loved Toshiro, so that was all that should have mattered to him.

The announcer's voice came over the loud speaker, startling Toshiro from his thoughts as the first snowboarder was set to run. A woman named Sharka (sick name!) from the Czech Republic went first. He watched as she slid down the start of the slope before jumping up onto a rail and grinding down it, known as 'jibbing'. Her flow was almost flawless as she slipped off the rail and up the first ramp, gliding easily over another rail obstacle while grabbing the nose of her board and very quickly again onto the next rail. Her flavour was great, Toshiro knew she'd score there big time, but her technical elements started to come undone a bit towards then end for the last three big jumps and her flow suffered as a result. Still, she landed each trick well enough and came to a halt at the bottom to the sound of big cheers from an excited audience.

Her score came up as 66.35, a pretty decent start for the event – she could even qualify for the finals.

More women went, one after the other, some performing well and others not so much. One woman had a nasty fall on one of the big jumps but fortunately she didn't hit her head and was able to roll through it, although she didn't have the momentum to make it over the next jump, finishing her run early. That was the danger in snowboarding events, one bad fall and you were done for. It was hard to recover as a rider needed to keep up their momentum to make it the entire way through their run. The halfpipe was worse; there was no coming back from a fall, and if the rider fell on the first or second trick, that was them done for the entire run. Hence why everyone got two runs in the heats and finalists would get a further three runs.

Finally Rangiku was called up, last in her heat. She was to go last in this heat while Tatsuki would go last in the next heat as reigning champion, both of them the two top contenders for the gold. They would both undoubtedly qualify, unless something really major went wrong, but the organisers had put them in different heats, specifically to push their face off back until the finals and keep the audience hanging onto their suspense. Toshiro and Karin stood to get a better view of Rangiku's run and Toshiro spotted Tatsuki watching cautiously nearby.

Rangiku's face came on the big screens as she appeared at the top of the slopestyle course. She was wearing her Australian competition uniform, the same as his, which was predominately a dark, forest green with the odd bit of gold coming through on the embroideries. Over the top of her chest was the Olympic bib they had to wear. 'ROXY' was printed across the back of her helmet and, although they couldn't see it yet, the underside of her board. Leaning over, Rangiku checked her feet were strapped securely in, before straightening and adjusting her UV-protecting goggles and bright pink snow gloves. Isshin stood diligently behind her, no doubt giving her a little bit of a final pep talk, and finally she was given the green light to go. There was no hesitation in the way she moved, straight down the slope and onto the first rail.

Rangiku was a veteran in her sport now, as Rukia had been in her field, and Toshiro couldn't help but compare the two of them as he watched the strawberry blonde's smooth run down the course, every move perfectly controlled, hints of her cheeky personality coming out in her grabs and everything else she added to her flavour element. Like Rukia, she was so well practiced and so utterly confident, flying across the snow like she wasn't even touching it. Even her landings were graceful, which was saying something because coming down from those heights and landing on hard-packed snow wasn't easy on the legs.

Coming into her first jump, Rangiku set herself up switch, meaning she had changed the direction in which she normally rode. Her normal stance was 'goofy' meaning right foot forward, and when she switched, it was to the opposite left foot forward stance, known as 'regular'. Toshiro rode regular normally, as did many people, as those who were typically right-footed like him generally found more control with their dominant foot at the back. Rangiku on the other hand was left-footed, which meant she found riding with her left foot back more controllable. Her first jump was a switch backside 540 with a mute grab, meaning she entered in her opposite stance, turned 'backside' or in her case clockwise, and turned 540 degrees, or one and a half rotations. The mute grab simply meant she had grabbed the board just in front of left foot on the toe-side edge.

She landed flawlessly and back into her normal goofy stance before taking off up the next jump, this time performing a front side 720 with an Indy grab (she grabbed the board in front of her right foot on the toe-side edge). As she was back into her normal stance, now front side was clockwise and backside was counter-clockwise. She did two rotations and again, landed without issue.

Her final jump was the backside 900 with a melon grab, which was essentially the same as her last jump except she turned counter-clockwise, added an extra half rotation and grabbed the board next to her left heel. Rangiku landed effortlessly once again as the crowd went wild for her performance as she skidded to a stop at the bottom of the course.

Rangiku was far more capable of adding extra rotations into her jumps and executing more difficult tricks but she was holding back, as not to give away her entire basket of tricks in a mere heat.

The score came up as 75.60, already she was on top of her heat.

The first heat then performed again, completing their second runs as many scrambled to make up the marks they had lost in the first run. By the time Rangiku was to go again, she was still in the lead and since the judges took the best score out of each run, it meant she had already come first in her heat. Her second run was more of a showcase for the audience than it was relevant to competition and still she scored in the low seventies. Her first score would be taken and she had officially come first in her heat and qualified for the finals.

"Get it, Gurl!" Karin cheered as Rangiku and Isshin made it back to them, the hangover apparently receding for a moment.

Rangiku grinned broadly as she reached them and she pulled both Shiba siblings into a tight embrace, both Toshiro and Karin's faces being smooshed into her breasts – something Karin appeared to have no complaints about.

"She did brilliantly," Isshin smiled, watching the scene. "It has set her up perfectly to pull out the bigger tricks in the finals."

"Just gotta see how Tatsuki performs now," Rangiku murmured, releasing her prisoners.

Toshiro stumbled back, spluttering for air, while Karin stepped back, blushing madly.

The second heat for the women passed by quicker, mostly since Toshiro wasn't paying much attention as he was busy researching ideas for his date with Rukia that afternoon (should he win his heat). He already had the first part organised, incorporating the help of his sponsors to create an experience Rukia could never forget. What he had planned was a risky move, he would admit, since many people would rather die than put themselves in that position, but Rukia seemed like the type of girl who would be down for it. The second part of the date would likely involved food of some kind, drinks too of course. He didn't want to do a typical romantic restaurant that was posh and awkward; he wanted to do something that was more him, he wanted to show her who he really was and the elements of his personality that she hadn't quite met yet.

"Tatsuki got a 74.95," Rangiku broke him from his thoughts. "I beat her!"

Toshiro glanced up at the large screens to see the scores. Tatsuki had placed first in her heat with that very score, which had been just under Rangiku's final score. She shook him excitedly and Toshiro rolled his eyes; the heats didn't count, in his opinion, Rangiku wouldn't have beaten Tatsuki until she can do it in the finals next week.

There was a short break between the women's event and the men's. Toshiro was in the second heat so he still had plenty of time to spare as he continued to research date ideas. Isshin wandered off to call Yoruichi and get an update on Ichigo's event, Karin slept off the rest of her hangover and Rangiku sat gossiping with Nanao who had come to join them after placing third in her heat and also qualifying for the finals.

Eventually, Toshiro found the perfect spot for the second half of his date. It had food to die for and an amazing drinks list, it had the element of fun he needed, but best of all, it was very secluded and hidden away from the prying eyes of the media. That was the biggest concern Toshiro had about taking Rukia on a date outside the village – they could be spotted and any photo snapped of them and published online could paint a picture that wasn't entirely true, which may then scare Rukia off.

"Ichigo placed second in his heat," Isshin told them, returning to the group as he hung up the phone. "Scored 121.75 and Renji placed third in the same heat."

Toshiro nodded; it was a solid score. Truth be told, he didn't understand skiing like he did snowboarding, but he did have a better grasp on it then the figure skating, mostly because he had been to so many of Ichigo's competitions (as they were often held alongside the snowboarding), and of course their mother had been a skier. Still, he didn't quite get why scores needed to go over a neat one hundred.

The men's slopestyle competition was announced to start and soon after the first heat was called up. They watched the first few with many of them scoring well. Naturally the nerves started to sink in to Toshiro's blood stream, pumping around his entire body within minutes. He always tended to get a little nervous before competitions, unlike Rangiku, but this time it was a far bigger competition with half the world watching. This time he was representing his country.

"Come on, Toshiro," Isshin murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder and leading him away from the group. "I'll get your bib, you start stretching."

Isshin had led him to an area just behind the entrance to the slopestyle course, effectively blocking his view from watching the other riders compete. A few other snowboarders from his heat were there too, stretching and warming up. It was so real now; he was actually about to compete at the Olympics!

His stomach flipped at the thought and Toshiro winced, start to feel unwell. He tried to distract himself, popping in his earphones and turning the music up loud before bending over and reaching for his toes. He had mostly blocked out the sound of the announcer and the cheers of the audience, and continued to stretch and warm his body up. Isshin returned with his bib as well as his board and helmet, and began to help Toshiro through his stretches. His father didn't say anything but Toshiro was sure he could sense his nerves and was taking to distracting him instead.

The first heat was eventually over, with all riders completing both runs. The top six was decided and was led by the guy who had taken gold at the World Championships last March. The guy who had been the last Olympic champion had since retired, leaving everyone speculating who would take gold this year – those who were on the podium at Worlds back in March or those who were on the podium at the X Games only a month ago, or perhaps a dark horse would appear. Toshiro himself had placed fourth at Worlds and then took the bronze at the X Games, Yumichika had done the opposite. They were neck and neck. The man that had taken silver at Worlds was off on injury currently and the guy who had won silver at the X Games had just competed in heat one, but had only placed fifth, narrowly qualifying for the finals.

Heat two was called up and Toshiro sighed, collecting his board off the ground and popping his helmet on his head, leaving it unbuckled for now while his goggles hung around his neck until he was called up for his run. The nerves had not disappeared, despite Isshin and his music trying to distract him. They headed over to the mouth of the slopestyle entrance as the first snowboarder kicked off.

"Toshiro Shiba," Yumichika's delicate voice greeted him, and Toshiro turned to find the lean man approaching, his long dark hair braided back. "I missed you this past week."

"Hey," Toshiro held his hand out to shake but Yumichika only laughed, rolling his eyes as he stepped forward to kiss him on both cheeks.

"Honey, you know I don't shake hands," Yumichika smirked playfully before winking at him, "just hips."

Behind him, Yumichika's coach Kenpachi Zaraki rolled his eyes. Zaraki was a huge man; tall and muscular and even made Isshin look like a small guy. Next to him, Toshiro was a just wee child. Zaraki's own child, his daughter Yachiru, was seventeen and yet looked like a toddler in comparison to her father's massive size. How that man had ever fit on a snowboard to begin with was beyond everyone.

Zaraki and Isshin shook hands in greeting, the two of them getting along well as they had often spent time together at Whistler.

"Tell me, Babe," Yumichika tilted his head, "are you still straight?"

"Since I saw you last week?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I'm still straight."

"Pity," Yumichika murmured, eyes running up and down Toshiro's body for a moment.

Easily ignoring that last remark, Toshiro turned around and watched the next few snowboarders go. Like the women's, there was a mixture of performances going out and a large range of results. So far the leading run was completed by a Swedish rider, scoring a 73.53, but now, closer to the end of the heat, the more accomplished riders were going out.

A rider from Norway scored an even 74, a Belgian rider that should have scored big fell dramatically on the rails, landing on his ribs and causing Toshiro to flinch a little, reminded of his skateboarding accident that had cost him the last Olympics. Isshin placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Don't let it get to you," he murmured. "Yumichika is up next."

Yumichika was up next and his run was good. He was holding back much of his talent though, and scored 71.56, putting him in fourth position. Even if Toshiro and the last rider beat him, he'd still be in sixth position and set to qualify provided no one trumped him in the second runs.

"Okay, let's go," Isshin cleared his throat, pushing Toshiro gently forward to the front until he was looking down over the course, and quickly eyes and cameras turned to him.

Toshiro pursed his lips to stop from grimacing at the sudden attention. He still have about a minute before they would give him the green light, as the announcer introduced him and undoubtly the commentators behind the television screens discussed his performance history. Toshiro strapped on his board, feeling the buckles clip securely around his boots. He buckled up his black Quiksilver helmet, adjusted his goggles and tightened the silver snow gloves around his wrists. Isshin patted him on the back before stepping away.

"Focus, Toshiro," Isshin murmured. "Remember Hyorinmaru."

Hyorinmaru was the name he had given to the snowboard currently strapped to his feet for the silver dragon painted on the underside of his otherwise black board, stretching up and roaring, sharp teeth bared. It was powerful image that graced his favourite board, and Toshiro pictured it in his mind, trying to absorb its' power, aggression and confidence. Yukio, who had a bit of an artsy side to him, had drawn it long ago on the front page of his school science book. Toshiro had ripped it out and kept it, loving the drawing, and even had his sponsors replicate it on his board. It had earned him a bit of a nickname in the snowboarding community in recent months, since he was starting to become more well-known; 'the Silver Dragon'.

Isshin had made a tradition of telling Toshiro to focus on the dragon's image in the seconds before he was due to compete, realising it helped Toshiro clear his mind.

"Remember why you want to win this heat," Isshin continued, setting Toshiro's brain off in another direction.

Rukia, Toshiro remembered. _Rukia._

He pushed back the thought of the pressure of representing his country, competing at his first Olympic games and being watched by millions of people, not to mention the media sharks lining the fence, cameras at the ready. He thought of Rukia; her smile, her laugh, her blush. He thought of his date with her, and how good it was going to be to spend some alone time with her.

He was given the green light and Toshiro twisted and pushed himself forward, his board angling him in his regular stance as he glided down the course towards the first set of obstacles. The first rail came and he jumped up, twisting backside (clockwise) 270 degrees around, landing on the rail and jibbing across it effortlessly and well balanced. He jumped off and continued down to the second rail, where he jumped up and this time jibbed across, spinning off instead and turning a whole 360 degrees backside to land back on the snow.

The first jump approached and played it safe with a simple front side 720 with a mute grab, landing without issue, his momentum sending him flying down the course towards the second jump. He wanted to up his flavour points with this one and so instead of gliding straight up the front of the ramp, he swerved to the side and cut right up the side of the jump, flying into the air and pulling off a backside 1080 (three rotations) with another mute grab.

The next element of the course had a small jump with the option of using a rail or simply jumping over it. Toshiro decided to use the rail, gliding across it and doing a boardslide pretzel, which essentially meant he twisted off at the last second before landing back on the hard-packed snow. It was worth difficulty points as it disoriented the rider on the landing, twisting the body and making it harder to spot the point of landing. Toshiro landed it fine and it set him up switch for his final jump, which he executed with a cab (switch front side) 1080 with a melon grab.

Again, the landing was perfect and the audience cheered loudly as he skidded down to the bottom, meeting Yumichika and the others in his heat at the bottom of the course. Toshiro grinned broadly, knowing he'd had a very good run. He even let Yumichika hug him (despite the fact he'd gone in for a fist bump) once he'd released the straps on his board, picking it up and tucking it under his arm. The screens replayed the features of his run in slow motion, the announcer still calling out the tricks as the judges worked on the scoring. Toshiro watched, identifying any faults he could correct for his next run; the only thing was when his hand had almost come down off the backside 1080 mute when landing, despite the smoothness of the land. He also had enough height on the last jump to pushed the 1080 to a 1260 (three and a half rotations) if he needed to make up the points for the next round. Alternatively he could add in a double cork for the backside 1080, but these were both tricks he was hoping to save for the finals.

The scores were revealed and Toshiro's eyes lighted up seeing the 75.64 score that bumped him to first place with only one rider left to go. He was only 0.31 behind the guy who had come first in heat one. The cameras were zooming in on him but Toshiro ignored them easily, feeling lighter with that high score.

Finally Grimmjow, the last rider, went. Toshiro watched with bated breath; Grimmjow was having a spectacularly good day – his run was_ flawless_. He skidded to a halt at the bottom, spraying some of the earlier competitors with snow while Yumichika scoffed and flicked his braid over his shoulder, muttering about the 'arrogant blue-haired, un-beautiful, not at all hot' man, despite the pink dusting his cheeks.

He scored a 76.05, back up in first place and Toshiro being bumped into second. _Shit._ That meant Toshiro needed to add in something else to his second run to ensure he beat him.

The eighteen athletes from heat two (excluding the guy who had fallen on his ribs and had since pulled out of the competition) made their way back up the slope and the second runs began.

"Toshiro, that was fantastic!" Isshin greeted Toshiro with a warm bear hug as reached the top again.

"I need to beat Grimmjow in this run," Toshiro replied quickly, feeling the pressing concern of losing his date with Rukia in the front of his mind. "I need to add something else in."

"No you don't," Isshin told him firmly. "Do the same run, keep your hands away from the snow and work on your flavour points. Grimmjow is over-confident and headed for a fall, I'm sure of it."

"I can't wait on him to fall, Dad," Toshiro argued, stepping away. "I really need to win this heat."

He could not lose after making this bet with Rukia. What was he supposed to say to her if he came second or worse?_ 'Hi, I lost and I suck at snowboarding and will never own an Olympic medal, but still come on a date with me?' _Gods no, she'd laugh in his face. Regarding him and the determination (possibly just desperation) in his eyes, Isshin sighed, clicking his tongue and pulling Toshiro in close again.

"Add in extra half rotations on the second and third elements," Isshin advised quietly. "If you change the 360 to a 540, it will set you up switch for the first jump. Turn that to a 900 and it will land you back in regular stance as normal."

Toshiro nodded quickly, agreeing to improve the early part of his run and up the technical points there.

"Do not, I repeat, _do not_ change your big jumps," Isshin said, voice stern. "Leave it for the finals. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Dad," the white haired snowboarder agreed quickly. "Thank you."

Isshin hummed and hugged him tighter, his gloved hand on the back of Toshiro's neck and holding him there. Hopefully that would be enough to beat Grimmjow. The American did have the advantage of going last though; he could very well change his own run up to beat Toshiro if that's what he wanted to do. That was the problem with the slopestyle; it was far too flexible at times. Athletes weren't as locked into their runs as much with the halfpipe. Of course, riders could change up their halfpipe runs too if necessary but many didn't, having practiced the runs so strictly. It was mainly due to the halfpipe being the same at every venue while the slopestyle course changed.

The riders completed their second runs, many scoring similar to the first run although a few more were knocked out on falls as the pressure of competition got to them. Yumichika, who had ended up being bumped to sixth in the first heat, put a little more effort into his second run and scored 74.23, putting him in second place and affirming his place in the finals next week.

Toshiro went next and prayed to every deity he could think off to ensure he pulled off a flawless run, despite the last minute changes to his earlier elements. The 540 and 900 were executed beautifully and set him up to run the rest of his run as normal. He was sure to be mindful of where his hands were at each landing, keeping them up and away from the ground. He also changed up a few of his grabs, his skateboarding style coming through a little more.

When he finished, Toshiro was ecstatic to see his score had been bumped to a 78.40, the score of the day so far. Yumichika bounced excitedly beside him as he returned to meet the other athletes, his snowboard dragging behind him and pulling off his helmet and goggles as he went.

Grimmjow went last and, as Toshiro feared, had upped the game of his run, adding in extra rotations here and there, the confident smirk on his face only growing as he reached the bigger jumps toward the end. Toshiro clenched his jaw; Rukia's smiling face was fading from his mind as he felt his chances with her slipping away from him. Then, just as Isshin predicted, Grimmjow pushed himself too far, going for a 1260 on the last jump, only to fall on the landing, somersaulting in a mess of snow before stopping, sprawled on his back at the bottom of the jump. He was close enough that Toshiro didn't need to look at the screens to see the pained expression on the blue haired man's face as he pushed himself back up, brushing off the medical staff as they ran to check on him.

The young Australian could tell Grimmjow was in pain and also embarrassed at his blunder, purely caused by his own overconfidence. He almost felt sorry for the man – _almost_, since the scores were then revealed and Grimmjow scored lower than his first run. Despite the great start to the first half of his run, the fall had been a serious error and cost him the lead.

Toshiro watched, almost disbelievingly as Grimmjow's named appeared on the score board, slotting in at fourth place behind Yumichika, while Toshiro's own name sat uninterrupted at first place. The cameras turned to him looking for a reaction as Toshiro tried to process what he was seeing.

He'd won?

He'd won!

"You've won," Yumichika chuckled, confirming his thoughts and ruffling Toshiro's hair. "How do you feel?"

Toshiro laughed, still in astonishment, "I'm so happy I could kiss you right now."

That's how absurd this whole situation had become. He didn't realise how much he had doubted he could win until he was looking up at his name atop the leader board, his score beating even everyone in the first heat.

"Oh well then by all means…" Yumichika leaned forward, cheeks pink as his eyes closed and lips puckered up.

Toshiro rolled his eyes; obviously he had been joking, but trust Yumichika to play along with it. The white haired snowboarder smirked as he simply patted the man's cheek before walking away, leaving him pouting playfully into the cameras still focused on them. He tucked his board under arm and let the helmet hang off his wrist as he made his way towards the exit, shaking hands with a number of his fellow competitors on the way, many of them congratulating him.

He found Isshin and the girls as they returned from the top of the slope and ran towards them, hopping into a group hug.

"Amazing!" Rangiku cried happily. "So fucking good, Bub!"

"You killed it," Karin agreed.

They hugged for a moment longer and Toshiro grinned into them, feeling their love meet his happiness as emotions burst in the back of his mind. Gods, what state would he be in if this had been the finals?

Eventually Isshin pulled back and led them away from the competition, carrying his board, goggles and helmet for him while Karin carried Rangiku's stuff. Media representatives were buzzing around, a few journalists managing to catch Toshiro on his way back to the chairlift that would take them down the mountain.

"Toshiro, Rangiku!" one journalist called and they identified the Aussie accent immediately; someone reporting home. "Both of you scored the highest in your competitions today, you must be ecstatic?"

Rangiku chimed in first, "I'm very happy, of course, but I think Toshiro is much more pleased about the scores."

Her voice was suggestive and that led the reporter to follow up.

"Why is that?" the man asked, turning to Toshiro, microphone out while the cameraman behind him focused on Toshiro's face.

Toshiro felt his cheeks heat a little as he tried to internalise the glare he was about to send Rangiku.

"I've just never competed at the Olympics before," he answered at last. "It's such a surreal feeling to be standing here."

The reported chuckled, "Well after that performance, we can see you definitely deserve to be here. How will you celebrate this evening?"

"We're just going to spend time with our friends," Toshiro cut over Rangiku before she could speak again. "Just catching up and celebrating that we all made it here."

It wasn't a lie, Toshiro was seeing Rukia, who at this point in time was basically classified as a friend, and Rangiku had plans to catch up with Nanao and the New Zealand boys at the bar.

Of course, Rangiku had to wink at the camera, likely leaving audiences speculating that there was more to Toshiro's answer.

The reporter thanked them for their time and wished them the best in their halfpipe heats the next day as Isshin started guiding them away.

Finally they made it to the chairlift and joined the athletes leaving, while the audience was directed onto different chairlifts out of sight. Karin and Rangiku hopped on one and Toshiro and Isshin hopped on the next one.

"I'm really proud of you, Toshiro," Isshin told him, a soft smile gracing his lips as the chairlift carried them gently down the mountain.

"Thanks, Dad," Toshiro murmured back, just over the hum of the lift and the squeak of the chairs hanging off the wires being pushed gently by the wind.

_He's just saying that,_ the voice in his returned, _he won't really be proud until you can bring him home an Olympic gold medal._

"Are you proud yourself?" Isshin asked, watching Toshiro closely, chocolate eyes piercing him.

_Not yet._

"I guess," Toshiro shrugged. "It was just the heats though, wasn't it? Yumichika held back, everyone did."

"Nobody else should matter," Isshin commented. "You should be proud of your run today. Sure it was simplified, but it was still strong and your execution I couldn't fault. You've worked really hard and it shows."

Absorbing his words, Toshiro hummed, leaning back in the chair. Inside his heart was swelling to three times its normal size at the kind words of his father and coach. He smiled softly to himself, loving the praise he was getting and the attention from his father. Sure, it was his job to say those things as his coach, but the line between coach and father was beyond blurred and Toshiro loved that. He revelled in any moments he got to spend alone with the man without any of his family or Rangiku around, even if he did close up involuntarily. It was rarely just the two of them, and Toshiro had smiled the whole way down the mountain, especially when Isshin ruffled his hair and grinned back at him.

They made it down and promptly headed back to the village, Toshiro not forgetting to message Rukia via Instagram, updating her on the news.

** Toshhiba, 12.45pm: **  
_Guess who owes who a date ;)_  
_I'll meet you outside the bar at 4pm. I hope you're not afraid of heights… xx_

She was likely competing in her free skate heat now and wouldn't reply for a while. That was fine, Toshiro had time to shower, change and talk strategy with Rangiku, and of course to finalise all the details for his date with Rukia. It was all to go perfectly; he wouldn't have it any other way. The message he sent her was vague, he knew, hoping it would leave her guessing and intrigued as to what may be in store for her.

The hours went by quickly. Toshiro stepped out of the shower to a reply text.

** RukiKuchi, 14.01pm: **  
_Congratulations! I won my heat too which means you'll have to be ready to answer any questions I ask ;)_  
_I'm not afraid of heights, but now you've got me curious…?_  
_See you at 4 x_

Grinning, Toshiro changed into an outfit that was Rangiku approved; black jeans, white button up (sleeves rolled of course), black leather bomber jacket, clean white converses. She also gave him a green scarf to wear while travelling from place to place. He wore his rings and watch, but left the beanie behind because, well, he didn't need it where he was going.

"Okay, remind me," Rangiku clapped before pulling him closer and adjusting the collar of his shirt underneath the collar of his jacket, "what is the object of this date?"

"To create an experience that Rukia will never forget," Toshiro repeated back to her, the strategy behind this date well established now.

"Which will mean?"

"That Rukia will never forget _me_."

"What are you to do?"

"Show her 'the real me'," Toshiro sighed, hoping that the real him was someone she would want to get to know, "and have fun."

"And what are you not to do?" Rangiku pressed, challenging eyebrow raised as her icy blue eyes locked with his.

"Have sex with her," Toshiro groaned; that didn't seem fair, nor did it seem like a strategically good move. Rukia liked sex and obviously found it easier that what Toshiro planned to put her through tonight (AKA conversation). She seemed to get a sense of control out of it that she wanted, and if he didn't give her sex, then surely she would just go off and find someone else, and Toshiro was sure there would be many men willing to help her out.

Rangiku was adamant though, convinced that Toshiro could perform well enough on this date to keep her interested in him a little longer.

"Trust me," she said. "Leave her wanting you at the end of the night. It will drive her crazy when you leave and you'll be on her mind all night."

Eventually grumbling reluctantly in agreeance, Toshiro grabbed his wallet and phone and left the room, making his way out of the hotel and down to the bar. He had suggested meeting outside the bar because it was a place they both knew and it was close to the village's back exit where they would be getting picked up, away from the prying eyes of the media. The nerves were tingling in his stomach again, but Toshiro suppressed it, feeling a strong sense of excitement take over at the thought of seeing Rukia again.

He had arrived just before four, but he only had to wait a few minutes before Rukia appeared, walking out of the hotel opposite Toshiro's and coming towards him.

Toshiro stared, breath caught; she was a vision. A black lacy dress that was hemmed mid-way up her thighs, another black choker to cover where he bit her two nights ago and a badass black leather jacket with countless zips and buckles and with matching gloves, but the best bit were undoubtedly her bare legs. She must have been freezing but gods he love those legs. He loved that the two of them matched, colours-wise. Between their hair, skin and clothes, black and white was the running theme they had going for them, the only bits of real colour coming through was in their irises and Toshiro's scarf. She reached him and he couldn't help but gape a little, lips parted as he took in every bit of her appearance.

"You look beautiful," he murmured, shaking himself out of his reprieve as he stepped forward and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, as he did with most of his female friends. He ignored the brief mental image he had of Yumichika who was very quickly ruining cheek kissing for him, and stepped back, noticing the faint blush adorning her cheeks as she thanked him quietly. _Wow_, she just got more and more beautiful every time he looked at her.

"So where are we going then?" Rukia asked, visibly curious.

Toshiro sent her a playful smile, "You'll see."

Nodding in the direction of the back entrance, Toshiro led Rukia to where they were being picked up. He had broken the physical barrier between them by kissing her cheek but he didn't touch her as they walked, other than the initial hand he put on her back to guide her in the right direction. They came out to loading dock and back car park where the various village employees and suppliers entered through, the Quiksilver van pulled up and waiting, a familiar smiling face leaning again the car doors.

"Toshiro, my man!" the man called out in his fading Californian accent, his long dreadlocks tied up into a floppy bun. "How ya going?"

"Good," Toshiro grinned, greeting the man with hand shake that turned into a one armed hug.

Upon release, Toshiro turned back to Rukia and introduced their chauffer for the afternoon.

"Rukia, this is Zeke," he told her, gesturing back to the dark skinned man. "He works for the Quiksilver sponsorship and marketing team, he's going to be our driver for the first part of this afternoon."

Zeke was once a professional surfer, and one of Yukio's many heroes, and had retired when his age got too much against the fit young surfers entering his division. He had moved to work at Quiksilver in America before transferring to the Australian team a few years ago. He handled most of Toshiro's sponsorship stuff now.

"It's nice to meet you," Rukia smiled.

"Likewise," Zeke grinned back before nudging Toshiro in the ribs, the well-indented laughter lines on around his eyes becoming more obvious. "When you said you wanted to bring a 'pretty' girl along, I didn't you meant 'absolutely gorgeous'."

"I didn't say that," Toshiro laughed, feeling his cheeks heat a little as Rukia smirked at him, enjoying his suffering.

"Anyway Rukia, it's a pleasure to meet you," Zeke ignored him. "I won't be getting in way of your date too much and then I'll give him back to you, probably unharmed, so you guys can go off and do your own thing."

Rukia raised an eyebrow, likely at the 'probably unharmed' comment (which, by the way, did nothing to settle the nerves settling in Toshiro's stomach), "Well now I am very curious."

Zeke grinned madly back at her but didn't offer any more clues, simply sliding open the van door and gesturing her to get in. Rukia slipped past them and climbed into the van, Toshiro right behind her as Zeke closed the door behind them before slipping into the driver's seat at the front. The van had been brought up from Portugal where Quiksilver had recently started running a surf school so it looked very out of place in the ski village of St Moritz and would likely turn a few heads. Fortunately the windows were tinted, so it was unlikely Toshiro or Rukia would even be spotted.

The drive was pretty quiet; Zeke kept to himself as promised, his surfing playlist providing a soft, relaxing vibe as Rukia and Toshiro talked a little about their heats that day.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come watch your free skate," Toshiro murmured as they drove between the snow-covered mountains. "I'll have to watch the replay later."

"Don't worry about it," Rukia shook her head. "It was only my Carmen routine."

"What's wrong with Carmen?" Toshiro asked; tilting his head. He'd studied Carmen at school; it was very old and very classical, which he supposed wasn't everyone's cup of tea but he certainly hadn't minded it.

"It's just the same old thing I've skated to my whole career," Rukia rolled her eyes. "My brother choreographs the same routines every time and I'm just so bored of it."

"I suppose he didn't choreograph your short programme then?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow at her; that routine had been anything but boring and super inappropriate for a brother to choreograph for his sister.

"No, that was me," Rukia laughed, the sound causing Toshiro to smile softly at her, "but he's under the impression Takahashi did."

Toshiro nodded, remembering reading about her visit to Japan to work with a skater by that name.

"Well, I'll still get to watch it at your finals," Toshiro hummed, leaning back.

The expression on Rukia's face was odd in a way that Toshiro couldn't pin as she gazed at him a little longer; perhaps he'd over stepped by assuming she would want him to watch her finals?

"Your heat was great today," Rukia turned the conversation around. "I was worried that Grimmjow guy was going to win before he crashed."

"So did I," Toshiro sighed, remembering the smug face of his competitor as he threw in all his extra rotations as the anticipatory feeling of failure had already seemed into Toshiro's mind. "Him crashing was the only reason I won."

Won the date, that was; the heat had meant nothing to him as long as he qualified.

Rukia, however, disagreed.

"No, you could control your tricks but he couldn't," she frowned. "You won because you were the better snowboarder."

The compliment was magic to Toshiro's self-esteem, the young snowboarder feeling his lips pull up into a smile automatically, causing the skater to huff a little, leaning back in her seat and turning away from him. Rukia thought he was a good snowboarder and that was a massive accolade from someone who was the world number one in her own sport.

"Almost there now," Zeke interrupted from the front seat.

Rukia was immediately looking out her window, trying to spot any sign that suggested what they were going to do that afternoon. Toshiro supposed it was worth giving her a bit of warning, just so she wasn't completely blindsided.

"So I have to do an extreme activity for a Quiksilver marketing campaign," Toshiro informed her. "I thought you might want to join me, I think you're wild enough to do it."

Glancing back over her shoulder at him, Rukia smirked, "Oh?"

"That being said, I don't want you to feel pressured here," Toshiro continued. "You don't have to do it. Hell, I'm sure I wouldn't if I wasn't getting paid for it."

As he said those words, the car slowed and pulled up in front of a building, the company name printed across a large sign in bold red letters, 'Skydive Switzerland'.

Staring at it for a second, Rukia's eyes widened for a moment before a massive grin exploded on her face.

"Fuck yes," she laughed. "I am absolutely doing this."

Toshiro grinned back, so glad that his idea to turn this into a date wasn't massively backfiring on him.

"DC Shoes is one of our subsidiary companies," Zeke told Rukia as he opened the door to let them back out. "This campaign is going to feature them and the Roxy division too, so you don't have to worry about any sponsorship issues and they are going to pay you for it if you do it."

"I'm definitely doing it," Rukia chuckled and Toshiro grinned, throwing an arm around her as the three of them walked inside the building.

Zeke organised everything with the front desk as Toshiro and Rukia milled around the reception area, looking at the photos and videos of people who had skydived through the company.

"If Roxy is included in the campaign too, does that mean Rangiku will need to skydive too?" Rukia asked.

"She's going to do a bungee jump instead," Toshiro answered, "and our friend Yukio who is a Quiksilver surfer is going shark diving with the Great Whites in South Africa."

A surfer's living nightmare, but okay.

Zeke called them over to the desk and they had to sign waiver forms acknowledging the death risk and agreeing not to sue if they did indeed die. They were then taken into separate change rooms and given thick blue jumpsuits to wear over their clothes, leaving anything that could fly off them during the dive behind in a locker. They were then also strapped in to a black harness that bits and bobs all over the place and wrapped around their thighs, waists, chest, back and shoulders.

"How do I look now?" Rukia asked with a cheeky expression when they were reunited in what appeared to be a training room, posing playfully in her jumpsuit and harness.

"Stunning," Toshiro smirked, wishing he hadn't left his phone in his locker so he could snap a picture of her. "You should just wear that for the rest of the evening."

"Don't tempt me," Rukia rolled her eyes. "This is much warmer."

They were then given a short training session, being walked through the flight up, the dive and the landing and in no time at all they were being walked out to the very tiny plane that would take them on a short scenic flight before getting them to an altitude of 15,000 feet (they had been upgraded from the standard 13,000ft, thanks to Zeke). They would then be tossed out with their instructors strapped behind them, freefalling for a whole minute before the parachutes would (hopefully) open.

"We've organised an outside camera flyer for each of you," Zeke informed them as they climbed into the plane. "So another person will jump beside you and will film your dive. You also both have cameras attached to you, and so does your instructor."

They nodded, taking in all the information they were given. The instructors climbed in followed by the two extra camera man flyers. Inside the small plane, Toshiro and Rukia were strapped to their instructors and sat back down beside each other. Toshiro frowned, given he was pretty much just sitting in another man's lap, while Rukia seemed to be rather entertained by this.

"Happy flying, you two," Zeke said, hopping out of the plane as they pilot started the engine up. "Enjoy the view! I'll see you when land… hopefully alive, am I right Toshiro?"

"Dickhead," Toshiro muttered as the door shut and he was left looking at the man's annoyingly smug smirk.

The plane ride was almost scarier than the thought of jumping; it was tiny and had little propellers, flying nowhere near as smooth as large passenger plane you would see at the airport terminals. Toshiro felt every move the pilot made as they rose higher and higher, the world becoming smaller beneath them.

The view was glorious though, he couldn't deny that, as they rose above the mountains, everywhere covered in a thick blanket of pure snow. Every few metres there was a thin waterfall cascading off the side of the mountains, its' water certainly ice cold. The view was so beautiful, it could have very well have been fake. Almost like it had been painted or even drawn. There were very few houses or buildings around where they were jumping from – the Olympic village and event areas completely out of sight, behind one of the bigger mountains. Everything was so pristine; Switzerland was one of the cleanest countries in the world – the air was fresh, the streets were clean, and one could actually drink water straight from the streams. This was one place Toshiro wouldn't have to pick up litter.

It was a natural wonderland and Toshiro absorbed it all, feeling the tension in his shoulders rolling off.

"Nervous?" Rukia's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Not with the luck of the Irish beside me," Toshiro teased. "You?"

Rolling her eyes, Rukia chuckled, "I think I'm going to be holding onto all of my Irish luck for this one."

Toshiro gasped, mock hurt, "You're going to let me plummet to the ground with nothing but second-rate Aussie luck?"

Rukia shrugged, indifferent, and then in an over-the-top Australian accent, "She'll be right."

Amused, Toshiro burst out laughing, "Did you just use Aussie slang?"

"I heard Ichigo say to Renji," she chuckled a little, watching him as he laughed, holding his stomach. "Did I use it right?"

"Yes," Toshiro chortled. "Spot on, although the accent could use some work."

She shoved him softly although her expression was amused. They spent the reminder of their scenic flight saying 'she'll be right' back and forth between them as Rukia worked on the accent, frustratingly exclaiming they were both 'saying the same fucking thing', too which Toshiro simply said 'she'll be right' again, but slower. He was teasing her, of course, she pretty much had it the first time, but it was funnier this way. Also, it made them forget they were about to plunge to their deaths.

"Alright let's go," the instructor strapped to Toshiro said, his Swiss accent clear above the noise of the plane. "Who's going first?"

"He is."

"She is."

Their responses were perfectly timed, causing the instructors to share a knowing smirk.

"Ladies first," Toshiro offered, although he hadn't had the best of luck using this phrase lately.

"I think the gentleman should risk his life first," Rukia remarked, batting her eyelids in a way Toshiro couldn't possibly refuse.

"Fine," he sighed, relenting all too easily at that pretty face.

"Excellent," his instructor said, forcing them both up as one of the camera flyers followed, opening the door of the plane, the freezing cold air flooding the confined space.

Toshiro inhaled sharply, looking down. Oddly enough, any fears of height or falling were dimmed; they were so high up, it was impossible for him to gage the danger of falling. Compared to canyon swing he'd done in New Zealand a few years ago, where he could easily see where he was going to be falling too, and definitely see the dangers presented to him, this wasn't so bad. The ground was so far away that his mind couldn't quite sense his vulnerability yet.

"Good luck," Rukia called out to him, looking very happy with herself, perhaps forgetting she was about to be doing the same thing.

Somewhere between a salute and a wave, Toshiro gestured his goodbye, promising to see her on the ground in a few minutes. He had time to send her a last second wink before he was being pushed out of the plane with his instructor and alongside the camera flyer.

Incredible.

There was no other way to explain the feeling. There were no words that could describe it. Toshiro hadn't known what to expect and now that he was experiencing it, he couldn't say what it felt like. He could, however, say what it didn't feel like; it didn't feel like he was falling, not at all – there had been no drop of his stomach as would be in a roller coaster or similar and despite them travelling at over 200km/h, the ground didn't appear to be getting any closer.

It was windy, he knew that, and freezing cold, but in an enjoyable way. It was also harder to breathe, probably due to the altitude, but then again, he could have just been too excited to breathe. They had protective eyewear on but still Toshiro could feel the wind pushing automatic tears to the edge of his eyes.

The view below him was stunning, once he was able to focus on it; the unadulterated snow on the mountains, the dark ice-covered lakes, the crystal waterfalls, the lush green fields that had somehow escaped snow coverage. It was also so surreal, like someone had taken a photograph and digitally altered it to utter perfection.

"Moment of truth," the instructor yelled over the wind, teasingly patting Toshiro's arm.

Suddenly, the sound of the parachute opening overtook the wind and Toshiro and the instructor shot back up, their descent slowing dramatically. _Safe_… ish; they were still very high up.

It was quieter now, the wind rushing in their ears during the freefall now almost completely absent. Everything was totally relaxed.

"There's your girlfriend," the instructor announced, pointing up and to the left where Rukia and her instructor had just released their own parachute.

Toshiro grinned up at the small woman who looked even tinier from that distance, ignoring the girlfriend mistake (although he didn't hate the sound of it), glad to see that both of their parachutes had worked and he wasn't going to have to explain to Ireland why their star athlete had died on a date with him.

The rest of the descent was peaceful and lasted about five minutes, the ground eventually becoming obviously closer. Toshiro was able to take in the view more now that they had slowed and the risk of dying was decreased. The whole area was spectacular, and as they glided gently closer to the ground, the small town they were above came further into focus, reminding him of Jindabyne. He always missed the little town when he was away, even when most of his family was still with him. There was just nothing like home.

The landing was harder than he expected it to be, but they slid pretty smoothly onto the icy grass, the feeling of solid Earth unbelievably relieving. Toshiro had never thought he would ever appreciate the unmoving ground so much in his life, but there he was, breathing deeply and letting the thin green blades slide between his fingers.

"Holy fuck," Toshiro laughed, more to himself than anything as the reality of the last few minutes sunk in his mind.

"How was that?" the instructor asked, smile evident in his voice as started unclipping them.

"Amazing!" Toshiro exclaimed, breathless. "Thank you so much!"

The instructor patted him on the back before continuing to remove the binds that held them together and also the ones holding the deflated parachute strewn across the grass behind him. Eventually they were disentangled and stood, double high fiving. Toshiro couldn't stop the grin on his face as he turned, seeing Rukia safely on the grass not too far away, also being released from her bindings. Zeke stood nearby too with another camera filming them.

"You're still alive, mate," Zeke called out to him and Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"No thanks to you," Toshiro chuckled, staying still as Zeke jogged towards him, the camera being shoved into his face, ignoring any personal boundaries the white haired man might have had.

"Toshiro Shiba, Olympic snowboarder for Australia," Zeke deepened his voice and forced a horrific Aussie accent. "What can you tell me about living life to the fullest now that you've skydived amongst the Swiss Alps?"

"Make waves," Toshiro grinned, winking at the camera. "Move mountains."

Zeke pouted over the camera, "That's the Roxy slogan."

Toshiro shrugged, they were all the same weren't they? Quiksilver's was 'Life on the mountain and the wave, and all the good spaces in between.' It was a great Instagram caption but didn't quite have the inspiring ring that the Roxy one had.

Ignoring as Zeke then turned the camera on himself and quoted the correct brand's slogan, Toshiro turned, seeing Rukia high five her own instructor before she too turned, their eyes locking across the field. They walked towards each other quickly and Toshiro soon found himself jogging as Rukia jumped into him in excitement.

"That was incredible!" she exclaimed, laughing liberally, her eyes bright.

Toshiro grinned up at her; he'd never seen her so… free? She looked absolutely delighted, adrenalin still pumping through both of them from the skydive.

He realised he was holding her, exactly the same way he had during their first kiss; arms around her waist, holding her body flush against him, her lips just above his. This time there wasn't lust in her eyes though, just pure happiness. They were bright and full of glee, her smile genuine. Toshiro almost leaned in to kiss her but of course Zeke had returned, camera in hand.

"Aww you guys," he cooed. "I think I've just found the closing clip for this campaign."

Sighing in sufferance that the mood had just been killed, Toshiro placed Rukia gently back down.

"We risked our lives today," he sent Zeke a small glare. "I think we could use a drink now."

Rukia hummed in agreement and the two of them returned to the change rooms, removing the harness and blue jumpsuit, gathering their stuff out of the lockers and meeting back in the reception area. They watched back the footage the various cameras had captured off their dive, both he and Rukia had been grinning broadly the whole time. Zeke made sure to get copies of all the footage and promised to email it to Toshiro and have Rukia's sponsorship manager email her too. They climbed back into the Quiksilver van, Zeke handing over his phone for Toshiro to punch in the address of the next part of the date.

"How do you feel about Spain?" Toshiro turned back to Rukia as they started driving again, back towards the Olympic village.

"Didn't love the heat," Rukia tilted her head at him, lips twitching a little. "Did love the wine."

"Sangria fan?" Toshiro asked, leaning back.

"Big time," she confirmed and Toshiro nodded; what wasn't to love?

Wine? Yes.

Fruit? Love it.

Wine and fruit together? Magic.

"Perfect."

Rukia was prodding him for an explanation for his questions but Toshiro kept his lips sealed.

The mountains rolled by the windows as they drove, the sun setting very quickly behind the mountains and the sky going that beautiful twilight blue; easily Toshiro's favourite time of the day.

It wasn't long before Zeke was pulling up against the curb on an unassuming street.

"Are you sure you'll be right to get back to the village from here?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's just around the corner," Toshiro nodded, gesturing down the street. "We can walk."

Zeke wished them a good night before driving off and Toshiro quickly led Rukia towards the entrance to the bar, wanting to get her back into the warmth as fast as possible. The bar they were going to had described itself as a 'hidden treasure' and Toshiro couldn't disagree with that, almost walking past the very inconspicuous entrance. They entered the building and descended down a flight of stairs, music hitting their ears as they reached the bottom.

"Wow," Rukia breathed beside him, looking around the room they had landed themselves in.

It was a former nightclub that had been renovated into a Spanish-themed bar, the place looking almost like a dive bar that had been done up, with definite hints of an indie vibe. In a word: _unique_. It was really cool though, with mismatched furniture, dim lighting and old fashioned Spanish movie posters lining the walls. They were underground now, so there wasn't any windows and the ceilings were low, but the feeling was more cosy than claustrophobic. The bar area was quiet large; spirits upon spirits lined the shelves between brick arches, young tanned bar tenders pouring the most interesting looking cocktails. In the centre of the room, a large dancefloor opened up the space and was already occupied by several dancing bodies. Behind the dancefloor and facing the rest of the room was a low stage where currently a small band were playing upbeat music, putting a Spanish twist on popular radio hits.

Toshiro led Rukia to an unoccupied booth; it was much smaller than the ones at the athlete's village bar, this one unlikely to fit more than four or five adults, with a comfortable-looking black leather seat. It was very warm inside, so Toshiro helped Rukia remove her jacket, before putting it on the seat beside him with her gloves, his own jacket and his scarf. Picking up the menu as they slipped in, Toshiro looked over their options.

"What do you want to get?" he asked.

"Sangria," Rukia answered without looking.

"Of course," Toshiro chuckled, "but I meant food wise."

Frowning, Rukia leaned close to him to get a look at the menu, her alluring scent almost sending a shiver down his spine.

"Nothing fried," the Irish woman sighed, "nothing fatty. Skater diets suck."

The detest in her voice was evident and Toshiro grimaced; he was sure he probably could stick to such a gruelling and unsatisfying diet if his sport required it but _far out_ it would suck. He saw the way Yuzu looked longingly at chocolate – her one true vice – and anything remotely fried. With such an athletic family, Toshiro had grown up eating healthy and learning to cook healthy, but his diet had never been as strict as Yuzu's. In fact, he was repeatedly told to put on more weight and bulk himself up which he had done a little after high school but for the most part, he just didn't have the body for it. He had very petite frame for a male, with neither height nor muscle mass working in his favour.

Rukia eventually picked out a couple of small things she could eat from the tapas menu, which Toshiro had no problem with since it meant they could share the food which was actually rather romantic in his mind. The bar was highly casual; there was no table service so Toshiro went to bar to order and pay for the food and drinks.

"I forgot to ask if you preferred red or white wine," Toshiro explained as he returned to the table with the jug of sangria and two glasses, "but I went with white because it usually has fewer calories than red wine."

He shrugged at that, hoping he had made the right decision using what little information he knew about her.

"It's perfect," Rukia murmured, "thanks."

Smiling, Toshiro filled up their glasses with the wine, chunks of fruit falling into the cups with small splashes. They clinked their glasses and took their first sips; the taste was gorgeous, and the look on Rukia's face told him she thought so too, the fruit and wine obviously very fresh. They shared a small grin before Rukia turned her focus back to the dancefloor watching the band play and the patrons dance, the atmosphere very much evoking the description _'fiesta'_.

Their food arrived quickly and they shared the small tapas plates, Toshiro unable to help the grin that was forming on his face; tapas had been a very good idea, it _was_ romantic.

"So I believe you owe me some personal anecdotes," Rukia pointed out when over half the food had been eaten.

"Yes, I believe I do," Toshiro chuckled. "What do you want to know?"

That had been the second bet he'd placed with Rukia last night. If she won her free skate heat that day, which of course she was always going to, then he would have to be prepared to tell her some personal things about himself, answering truthfully to whatever questions she asked. While that was a bit of a terrifying thought, depending on how deep Rukia was going to delve with her questions, it did tell Toshiro that she was interested in getting to know him better. Rangiku also made him promise to show the 'real' him to Rukia; the 'real' him being the fun, open version of himself that Rangiku and Yukio knew, not the quiet, closed up version his family knew. Toshiro would argue that although they were two very strong, very different sides of him, it was both of them together that made up the 'real' him.

"Who is the most famous person you've ever met?" Rukia started off after a moment of contemplation.

"You," Toshiro smirked cheekily.

"Excluding athletes," Rukia rolled her eyes, ignoring the pink dusting her cheeks.

"Stan Lee," Toshiro answered, feeling himself grin. "Yukio and I saw him at a Comic-Con in Sydney, we got autographs and everything."

He and Yukio had always been big Marvel fans, growing up reading the comics. For both of them, it had been a bit of an escape; Toshiro trying to escape the reality of his home life and the sheer loneliness of being the invisible Shiba child (it was almost as if he was the one with the super power), Yukio escaping the fact his parents were never home, caring more about their profits than their child.

"What about you?" Toshiro asked, taking another sip of his drink; he wasn't sure if these questions were going to go both ways but it was worth a shot to learn more about the amazing woman beside him.

"Oh I've been to VidCon a few times now," Rukia answered. "Met quite a few big name YouTubers. I also met BTS last year."

Toshiro nodded; he was very familiar with the South Korea boy band – Yuzu again was a big fan, insisting they listen to the group in the car whenever he drove with her.

"Whose name do you have tattooed on your ass?" Rukia asked suddenly, like she had been busting to ask that and Toshiro groaned; he should have known that was going to come around again.

"Ran, short for Rangiku, inside a love heart," Toshiro muttered, releasing a long sigh. "Long story short, it was a drunken bet gone horribly wrong."

"Who's the wild one now?" Rukia laughed, teasing him. "I bet that's hard on your love life."

"Not many women appreciate it, that's for sure," Toshiro chuckled. "Mind you, they don't really appreciate my relationship with Rangiku either."

Why would they? Toshiro and Rangiku were almost disturbingly close for 'friends'; they were affectionate with each, they had kissed before (during drinking games), they lived together, and they had shared a bed many times (for sleeping only, of course). It didn't help that Rangiku was a very attractive woman and girls Toshiro brought home tended to fall jealous quickly.

"Would you ever get the tattoo removed?" Rukia asked, leaning forward.

"No," Toshiro answered quickly, deciding long ago that it was something he wouldn't negotiate on, "I'm willing to compromise a lot of things to make a girl happy but Rangiku isn't one of them."

None of his friends or family were, and that's why things had gone downhill with Momo who was asking him to give up exactly that.

"She's my best friend," Toshiro shrugged, feeling the need to explain himself further. "She's like a big sister and the tattoo is a symbol of that. She's just… she's my family, you know?"

Regarding him, Rukia nodded slowly and exhaled softly, "I guess it's the same for me with Gin. I'd never give him up."

"Exactly," Toshiro agreed quickly. He hoped this meant he and Rukia were on the same page about this; whatever their relationship was now and whatever it might become, their best friends were there to stay.

"Do you study?" Rukia asked, taking them on a new track. "Rangiku almost lost your assignments with her lesbian porn virus, right?"

Nodding, Toshiro chuckled remembering Rangiku's ill-fated Never Have I Ever jibe at him the previous night, which had only backfired on her when they remembered it was her who had looked up the porn, not him.

"I study environmental science," Toshiro smiled, sitting up straighter, "through University of Sydney. They have a great elite athlete program that lets me study part time and by distance, and they're really flexible with my exams."

They let him do them whenever he wanted, basically. With the high marks he got and the slowly building fame of being a professional snowboarder, he looked good as one of their students and they liked to flaunt that.

"Is that why you pick up litter in skate parks?" Rukia asked, grin gracing her lips as she giggled at him. "I saw that hilariously adorable video on your Instagram, you were proper raging at people for it."

"They leave their rubbish all over the place!" Toshiro defended as Rukia's smile only grew wider, his own grin unconsciously matching hers. "It's really harmful for the environment, and it kills wildlife."

"I'm not disagreeing with you," she laughed. "I think it's great."

Her smile was broad and brightened up the dimly lit room; Toshiro was sure he'd never get tired of looking at it, or just her in general. When she smiled, he smiled. When she laughed, he laughed. When she seemed happy, he felt happy. He wanted to be the man that gave her joy.

They stared at each other for a moment, smirk still playing on Rukia's lips as she held his gaze, taking a sip from her sangria and leaning back against the booth seat. The band finished up a song and transitioned to another one, Toshiro recognising as 'One Dance' by Drake, but they played it very slow and mellow. They watched the band for a moment as they finished off the last of the tapas.

"Tell me about your dog," Rukia requested at eventually. "Daisy, right?"

A huge grin spread out over Toshiro face.

"Yes, Daisy, she's a blue heeler which is a type of cattle dog in Australia," Toshiro answered happily. "I've had her since I was twelve, so she's getting old now, but she's still adorable."

Resisting the temptation to pull out his phone and show her the countless pictures in his camera roll like a proud mama, Toshiro had to remind himself that Rukia had likely already seen the Daisy spam all over his Instagram profile and unlikely wanted to see more pictures.

"Do you have pets?" he asked.

"Just Gin," Rukia shrugged, causing Toshiro to laugh heartedly over the music. It was true that man seemed like a bit of a puppy dog trailing after her, but then again, Toshiro could hardly talk, sure he looked the same next to Rangiku, who regularly patted his head and called him a 'good boy'.

Rukia winked at him before leaning forward, elbows resting on the table.

"Alright I have one last question," she announced, topping up her empty sangria glass before turning back to him. "You seem really close with your sisters, but not at all with Ichigo. Why is that?"

Stilling for a moment, Toshiro then looked away, turning towards the dancefloor but not really seeing anything as he felt his internal defences ring alarmingly, the walls he had built around him bursting out from the floor to encase him. He blinked, not breathing, and willed the walls to crumble. Rukia wasn't his family, she wasn't in the category of those he closed up from, only the topic was. Rangiku had given him a specific job tonight – be the real him. Open up. Get personal with Rukia so that she could actually get to know who he was. How could she ever decide if she liked him if she didn't know him?

Exhaling deeply, Toshiro turned back to Rukia who was staring at him silently, probably trying to gauge his reaction.

"Karin I'm very close with," Toshiro explained after a moment, starting with the easiest sibling to discuss, "she wouldn't have it any other way."

A small smile filtered across his face; Karin knew what she wanted and nothing got in the way of that.

"Yuzu is kind of in the middle," he continued, shrugging. "She idolises Ichigo and they're very close. She doesn't usually like to spend time with me unless she wants something… or if Ichigo's busy."

Ichigo had been much busier lately, especially having been reunited with his long distance boyfriend, and that was why Toshiro and Yuzu had been able to have a nice moment at the opening ceremony and then again on the way home from the bar last night. It was a real rarity, despite the moments being over consecutive evenings.

"My relationship with Ichigo is complicated," Toshiro sighed. "He doesn't like me very much, which is disappointing because we were really close when we were little."

With another deep sigh, Toshiro explained the situation to Rukia. He spoke about the fact he and Ichigo were adopted, while the girls were not. He_, very briefly_, told her about how his mother had died birthing the twins and how that had greatly changed the family dynamics.

"Dad was busy with the babies," he murmured, staring down into his drink. "Ichigo was spiralling and I was too young to understand why. My brother turned angry and bitter, more so as he grew up. He hated everything I did; I couldn't go to him with any problems, even adoption-related issues that only he would understand."

Well, there had been one time when Ichigo had been a good pillar of support there, but that was a fleeting moment from a long time ago.

"What about your dad?" Rukia ask, voice quiet but curious.

Toshiro glanced at her; her eyes were soft, looking at him not with pity but something else. Understanding maybe? He wasn't sure; Rukia was a hard woman to read at times.

"I closed up," Toshiro explained, voice thick. "I didn't want to upset Ichigo further, and I didn't want to distract my dad from him or the girls. Any successes, any failures; I kept them all secret."

His birthday? _Forgotten. _Being elected school captain? Isshin didn't know until weeks later when he bumped into one of the other parents at the supermarket who congratulated him on it. Dux of the school? Isshin found out when he was sitting watching Toshiro's graduation ceremony despite the young genius having known for days. Coming first in the state for HSC Biology? Isshin had to read it in the newspaper in an article about the state's top achievers that year. Momo pretending to be pregnant? Toshiro was pretty sure Isshin still didn't know about that one.

"I'm such a contradiction," Toshiro laughed bitterly, smiling sadly. "All I ever wanted was for my dad to be proud of me and yet I hid every single accomplishment, and I still do where possible. I grew up feeling really neglected and I hate it because it's my own fault."

He had used the word 'hate' far more times than Isshin would be comfortable with but Toshiro didn't know how else to describe these things.

Staring into his drink, Toshiro shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like talking about this; it was easier with Rangiku and Yukio because they had grown up with him, they knew his story already, making it easier for Toshiro to keep them updated on it or vent when needed. Having to explain the whole thing over again to someone new, trying to give them that context, well it was difficult and very awkward – he could actually feel his muscles tensing then trying to relax, only to tense again harder. He was going to end up with a cramp if he kept this up.

Cool fingers on his startled him, and Toshiro glanced up to find Rukia had shuffled over, closing the gap between them.

"I guess you were right," Toshiro murmured, eyeing her hand on his; she wasn't holding his hand and their fingers hadn't intertwined, she just let hers rest across his. It was surprisingly comforting.

"Oh?" Rukia tilted her head.

"Physical stuff is easier," Toshiro answered softly, eyes flicking up again to meet hers, a small twitch in his lips to indicate he found some humour in all this.

Rukia's lips broke out into bit of a knowing smile before she nodded. The hand that had been on his moved to grab his collar and she drew their lips together.

It was by no means a soft and gentle kiss, but it wasn't the crazy last filled one from the night they met. It was passionate, her tongue slipping into his mouth almost instantly. Again, he was happy for her to take control but he got her to work a little more for it this time, pressing against her harder, his tongue trying to slip by hers and delve into her mouth a little. He managed a small dip before she forced him out again, keeping the dance inside him. He felt her, he tasted her, he practically breathed her. It was like she pumping life into him, getting him to feel a connection with someone again after so many months of loneliness.

After a while, Rukia pulled back and Toshiro tried to follow her but she put a hand on her chest to stop him; he remembered what Rangiku had told him not to do but there was fog quickly descending over his mind and Toshiro wanted to feel more of Rukia again. He wanted to feel that physical connection again.

"It's much easier," Rukia said between breaths.

Toshiro swallowed, nodding in agreement, forgetting what they were even talking about.

Across the room, the band started a new song, and Toshiro glanced over quickly, recognising the song instantly; 'Shape of You' by Ed Sheeran, with a slight Spanish twist on it.

"Want to dance?" Toshiro asked, turning back to Rukia and nodding to the dancefloor where a number of couples had descended to, the beat of the song very sensual and perfectly grindable.

"Sure," Rukia accepted, a devilish smirk flashing across her features and Toshiro grinned back at her as he slid out of the booth and held his hand out for her.

She took his hand and he led her out onto the dancefloor, amongst the grooving bodies. Hands on her hips, he pulled her close. She was facing him and they quickly found themselves falling into a nice rhythm together, moving in sync to the erotic beat. Their pelvises were glued together as they swayed, Rukia's hips rolling against him with practised ease. Her violet eyes had grown dark again as she moved against him and Toshiro felt his will to follow Rangiku's instructions slipping further and further from his grasp as he dipped down to capture her lips again.

_Girl, you know I want your love_  
_Your love was handmade for somebody like me_  
_Come on now, follow my lead_  
_I may be crazy, don't mind me_

Their tongues danced as their bodies did too, rubbing against each other until Toshiro barely knew his own name anymore, his entire focus tunnelling around the Irish woman and the sensual beat. He was so lost in her, it wasn't funny. Rukia seemed to find it humorous though, if the smirk he felt gracing her lips as she kissed him back was anything to go by. She knew exactly what she was doing to him and the white haired man loved every single second of it. His hands eventually grew bold, exploring her back before travelling back down again and cupping that perfectly shaped ass.

_Say, boy, let's not talk too much_  
_Grab on my waist and put that body on me_  
_Come on now, follow my lead_  
_Come, come on now, follow my lead_

Rukia pulled back from the kiss, looking up at him through impossibly dark eyes, the mischievous grin on her face stretching wider, clearly satisfied with the effect she was having. She pushed away from him for a moment, ducking under his arm and twirling before coming to a stop with her body once again pushed up against his. This time, however, she had her back to him, her rock hard butt pressing against him in precisely the right spot. Toshiro's arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close as she began to grind against him, eliciting a soft groan from his lips. It was a sound barely audible over the music but right in her ear, only appearing to encourage her further as she pressed harder against him.

_I'm in love with the shape of you_  
_We push and pull like a magnet do_  
_Although my heart is falling too_  
_I'm in love with your body_

She was a sorcerous, using her black magic to seduce him and make him entirely pliable to her will. If she had told him to jump off a cliff, he surely would have. Toshiro was drawn to her like a moth to a flame as leaned over the back of her shoulder and pressed his lips to her skin where neck meets shoulder and just below the choker that hid his last mark on her, a mark he so desperately wanted to replicate on the other side.

_And last night you were in my room_  
_And now my bedsheets smell like you_  
_Every day discovering something brand new_  
_I'm in love with your body_

Rukia's arm came up, bending at the elbow until Toshiro felt her hand on the back of his neck, finger tips sliding past his hairline as Toshiro continued to kiss her neck and shoulder, breathing in her scent like it was oxygen to starved lungs.

They were very much in their own world, paying no mind to anyone else around them. A spotlight was on them and the rest of the world was blacked out. Thoughts about the Olympics, competing, family drama – everything completely wiped blank from Toshiro's mind.

One thought; _Rukia._

Eventually the song came to its end and Toshiro frowned as Rukia pulled away from him, the haze over his mind lifting slightly at the lack of her touch. The Irish woman's midnight hair flicked over her shoulder as she turned to face him, grinning, completely satisfied with herself, as the band transitioned into the next song. Rukia stepped back as Toshiro automatically reached for her again, hoping to continue their highly erotic grinding game. She held out her arm, pressing her hand firmly against his sternum and effectively stopping him from coming closer. He shot her a confused look but the skater only winked at him before pushing off him with a small pulse of her hand.

Staring blankly and half hard in his jeans, Toshiro watched as Rukia began to dance on her own. It took him too many bars to realise the new song was a much more sped up version of Michael Bublé's 'Sway', the beat far stronger and the underlying Spanish theme of the rhythm embodied through the band's use of brass instruments. Rukia smirked at him, holding his gaze as she glided around him, her whole body moving with the beat, her performance entirely for him. Toshiro stood completely mesmerised by her; every part of her dancing was hypnotic. In her eyes he saw true joy, similar to how they had been after skydiving, although now they were tainted by her earlier lust. She loved to dance, he could tell; she looked utterly comfortable, feeling the music and making the dancefloor her own, even as a number of the dancers around them stopped to watch, also taken by her performance. Still she paid them no mind, her eyes never leaving his.

The Irish body was perfection wrapped in pearly silk skin, toned muscles engaging as she moved. No beat was missed, no move only half executed – she put every part of her being into dancing, nailing every move and sequence. Toshiro knew figure skaters were generally excellent dancers as the art was fundamentally relevant to their sport, but the way Rukia was dancing for him right now… well there was something different about it. She didn't look like a skater anymore, she just looked like a girl who loved to dance. Maybe she had come from a dancer background as Toshiro had come from a skateboarding background like his father? Or maybe she was always a skater but had become more drawn to feeling the beat off the ice? Toshiro didn't know but he wanted to find out; he wanted to know everything about her.

Again the song ended too quickly for Toshiro's liking and Rukia ended her performance beautifully as she spun into him, coming to a halt on the final beat, facing him with her knee bent up over his hip and body flush against him. Toshiro caught her leg under the bend of her knee and held her there, his other arm wrapping around her waist. He wasn't letting her go again, even if he did love her performance. Around them cheers from the onlookers broke out but once again they were ignored as Toshiro and Rukia stared at each other, faces only centimetres apart as the Australian snowboarder inhaled her soft pants.

Her hand wound around his neck as she pulled him in, closing that small gap between them. This time the kiss was fierce as she held him in place and sucked the life out of him, Toshiro only too happy to let her take him. It was a short lived kiss however, as Rukia was just as quickly pulling back again.

"Wanna get out of here?" she asked, accent once again blowing his mind with its outright seductiveness.

"Yes," Toshiro breathed, kissing her again, quick but passionate.

He let go of her leg and instead grabbed her hand as he pulled them over to the table, only just remembering they had left their stuff there. They threw on their jackets quickly and walked briskly from the bar, Rukia slipping on her gloves and Toshiro his scarf as they walked back up the stairs. Toshiro was very grateful he had paid for the food and drinks up front otherwise he might have forgotten in his current state.

Cold night air struck them forcefully, only turning Toshiro on that little bit more. Rukia however was shivering in seconds. Instantly, Toshiro pulled off his scarf and wrapped it loosely around her neck. He didn't ask and he ignored her token protest; the night they had met she had rejected his offer for his jacket so he wasn't giving her the option this time – it was a far longer walk and she had bare legs, he couldn't exactly give her his pants and she was already wearing a jacket so his best option was the scarf.

"Thanks," she mumbled after a moment when Toshiro grabbed her hand again and took off in the direction of the village. Her cheeks were pink but whether that was the cold or her blushing, he wasn't entirely sure.

They walked very quickly through the old fashioned Swiss streets, the architecture becoming very traditional, houses looking more like winter lodges, as they approached the village.

"Your dancing tonight," Toshiro breathed, filling the silence as they hurried, "was incredible."

"Yeah?" Rukia chuckled.

"Yeah," Toshiro sighed contentedly, his breath becoming a visible cloud in the freezing air. "Were you a dancer before you were a skater?"

Quiet, Rukia shrugged in answer.

"Do you like it more than skating?" Toshiro pressed as they continued up towards the village, the gates coming in sight.

Again Rukia shrugged.

"You are such a mystery," the white haired snowboarder chuckled, pulling her arm and bringing her closer. "Come on, I told you my sob story, now I want to know the real Rukia Kuchiki."

Hesitating for a moment, Rukia's lips then twitched a little and she glanced up at him, eyebrow raised slightly.

"Maybe you'll have to win it," she smirked, clearly loving the control she was taking over him and making him work for what he wanted.

"My halfpipe heat is tomorrow," Toshiro told her.

"I know."

"If I win, you have to answer my questions this time."

"_If _you win," Rukia teased.

"Oh I'll win," Toshiro smirked. "You should come watch."

"We'll see," the Irish girl chuckled before adding after a moment, "… if you're lucky."

"I'm headed home with Rukia Kuchiki," Toshiro shot her a smug smile. "I'm the luckiest guy on Earth."

The eye roll that followed was suffering but Rukia's smile told another story and Toshiro grinned as he pulled her in closer, his arm swinging over her shoulders and keeping her against him. They approached the gates and soon entered the village, the media long since gone home for evening; with the bar at the back of the village, most photographers couldn't get a good vantage point from the front gates, many of them trudging off to the local pubs in town where they were more likely to find an athlete behaving badly.

Without thinking, Toshiro had led them in the direction of his hotel and straight into the elevator. Like two nights ago, they ended up wrapped around each other, tongues swapping as Toshiro was backed against the wall. The doors opened with a ding and they stumbled out, the déjà vu all too real.

This time, however, they were stopped by an obstacle neither of them had foreseen.

They stared blankly at the 'do not disturb' sign that was hanging off the door handle to Toshiro's hotel room.

"Shit," Toshiro cursed. "I forgot about Ichigo."

"Is he with Renji?" Rukia asked, glancing up at him and then back at the sign.

Toshiro nodded with a resigned sigh.

"Come on then," Rukia pulled his sleeve back in the direction of the elevator. "We can kick Soi Fon out of my room."

But they couldn't.

They arrived at Rukia's room in the opposite hotel a few minutes later only to find a thick thermal sock on the door.

"Who the fuck is she with?" Rukia stared at it, exasperated.

Toshiro shrugged; _fucked if he knew_, he hadn't had a single conversation with the other Irish woman.

So apparently their rooms weren't always magically free – the biggest downside of roommates. Toshiro was secretly glad though; seeing his room already occupied by his brother and the following chilly walk across to Rukia's hotel had sobered the snowboarder's mind enough to remember Rangiku's advice. In his opinion it was romantic suicide but his best friend has sworn by it and made him promise to follow through.

"_You'll be on her mind all night,"_ that was Rangiku's promise to him. She had made him vow to trust her on this but if his room had been empty, Toshiro was sure he would have broken his promise, purely because he'd forgotten about it, losing sight of his date plan while under Rukia's powerful spell.

"Gin will let us borrow his room," Rukia announced, sure of herself as she glanced down the hall at another door.

She grabbed his hand and began to pull but Toshiro stayed rooted to the spot, internally grimacing at what he was about to do and praying that Rangiku would be right on this one. This was the ultimate trust fall and the riskiest thing he had done tonight, completely surpassing jumping out of plane only hours ago.

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked, frowning when Toshiro didn't budge, looking down at their feet for a moment.

_Gods give me strength._

"I don't think we should," Toshiro swallowed, "at least not tonight. I have my heat early tomorrow and I'm not sure Gin would appreciate the request."

The look Rukia sent him was of utter bewilderment and Toshiro found himself looking away. This was death, he couldn't believe he was turning her down – the most attractive and beautiful woman he'd ever met; he couldn't believe he was denying her something she clearly wanted after being sure only minutes ago that he would give her absolutely anything she wanted.

"What?" Rukia asked after a moment, voice thoroughly shocked.

Glancing back at her, Toshiro had to remind himself what he was doing before he forgot again, her face playing easily with his mind and wiping his thoughts.

"I'm going to go back to my hotel," Toshiro uttered, trying to sound sure of himself, like he knew he was actually making the right decision. "Come on, I'll walk you to Gin's room, I'm sure you could sleep in Renji's bed since he's not using it."

The Irish woman stared at him, expression unchanging and causing the young snowboarder to sigh, putting his hand on the small of her back and leading her down to the door she had implied was Gin's.

"I had really good time tonight," he told her softly as they stood in front of new room, this time nothing was hanging off the handle. "Thank you so much for coming with me."

She didn't answer, her face still frozen in its' confused and somewhat horrified state. Toshiro had promised not to have sex with her but he couldn't leave her like that and compromised, stepping forward and connecting their lips once again.

This time he was in control, largely because Rukia still seemed too stunned to respond. It was unlikely she had ever been denied sex before and Toshiro still couldn't quite comprehend that he, of all people, was the one to do it. He kissed her very softly, very slowly, in a way he was sure she wasn't used to kissing but it was easily one of his favourites. It was deliberate and measured. It was tender and delicate. It was so full of care and fondness. It was _wholehearted_. He was gentle, pouring himself into her in a much more restrained away.

His hand cupped her face, his thumb softly stroking her cheek bone while his other arm drew her in by her waist, the thumb on this hand taking to rubbing small, soothing circles against her hip bone.

_Forgive me,_ Toshiro wanted to tell her, _please don't sleep with anyone else._

It actually made him nauseous to think of her with anyone else now and in his mind, Toshiro knew that meant he was getting attached to her, after swearing he wouldn't do that again, even if she was the most gorgeous woman he had ever met. The idea of not having sex with her that night was horrible but maybe there was a silver lining, maybe he could hold off his attachment. It scared the fuck out of him, especially after everything he had read about the Irish woman and her history of men; Toshiro didn't want to be a number in her little black book. He hoped his feelings were just distorted after the evening they had shared and only coming out in his still mildly horny state, he hoped he could cure it with a cold shower and decent sleep. He hoped Rukia could reciprocate those feelings…

_No._

That was the exact opposite of what he needed to think right now.

Toshiro finished the kiss that he could only describe as slow passion, leaving her with a last final press against her lips before he stepped back. Vaguely bringing her fingers to touch her lips, Rukia glanced up at him, her expression now even more uncertain.

"Good night, Rukia," he murmured, taking another step back. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded slowly, although Toshiro wasn't convince she had even heard the question, let alone registered it in her mind. He walked up to the elevator and pressed the button, the doors opening instantly as it hadn't moved since they had ridden it up. He gave her a last wave before stepping inside, officially cutting his view of her for the rest of the evening. The doors slid shut with a soft whir and Toshiro let his head fall back, hitting the mirrored wall with a dull thud.

He was a fucking idiot to leave her standing there, wasn't he?

The doors opened again once the lift reached the lobby, and Toshiro strolled out of the hotel, digging his hands into his pockets as deep as they could go. The cold air on the back of his neck alerted him to the fact he had left his scarf wrapped around Rukia but he didn't mind, and hopefully that gave him another excuse to see her again, even if he didn't win his heat tomorrow.

He returned to his hotel, walking past his occupied room to Rangiku's door, knocking softly. It wasn't that late but he didn't want to wake her or Yoruichi if they had fallen asleep.

A moment later, Rangiku answered the door in her sweat pants and team hoodie, hair tied up in a messy bun.

She leaned against the door, smirking at him, "So can I assume this means you followed my advice?"

"Yes," Toshiro groaned, extremely frustrated with himself. "This better work, Ran."

"It will, Bub," Rangiku smiled softly at him, her hand coming up to brush his hair back. "Trust me, she's not going to be able to get you off her mind."

"What if she goes to someone else?" Toshiro looked down, hating that he felt this way so soon.

"She won't," Rangiku promised him. "Not as long as you're the one she's thinking about."

Sighing deeply, Toshiro ran is hand down is face, hoping to all hell that she was right about this one.

"Can I stay here tonight?" he asked, gesturing to his room further down the hall, "Ichigo has Renji over."

"Of course, Bub," Rangiku stood aside letting him into the room

Only dimly lit by her bedside lamp, Rangiku's room was empty, Yoruichi seemingly out for the evening. There was a bottle of wine open on the desk and her laptop was open, playing a movie.

Rangiku shuffled over to her suitcase and pulled out a small bag before tossing it to him. It was their sleepover pack; Rangiku kept a small bag of his spare stuff in her suitcase and he kept one for her in his, each containing a toothbrush and something to wear to bed. Given they travelled so often and were regularly at international competitions, getting locked out of their room while their roommates entertained guests was a regular occurrence and after while they realised it just made sense to keep some of each other's stuff in the case of an unplanned sleepover, such as tonight.

Toshiro went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth with the spare toothbrush and slipped into the old sweat pants and t-shirt she had kept for him. Returning to the room, he found Rangiku sitting in her bed on her phone. He slipped in next to her and rolled away, bringing his phone up to his face and opening Rukia's Instagram, just for another quick look…

"Okay, go!" Rangiku exclaimed suddenly, putting her phone down and rolling onto her side to face him, poking him in the back. "Tell me everything that happened on your date tonight! Don't spare a single detail, I want to know _everything_."

He sighed with heavy exasperation, like he was somehow massively inconvenienced by having to describe the best night of his life to his best friend. Despite his theatrical show of pretending to be irritated, Toshiro rolled over to face Rangiku, mirroring her exact position. He couldn't stop the grin bursting onto his face as he recounted moment for moment his date with Rukia Kuchiki.

…

** Ruk1aL0v3r**  
_Omg Rukia dancing with that Aussie snowboarder! #RukiShiro lives!_

** Skateprincess031**  
_WHAT! How do you know __** Ruk1aL0v3r**__ ?_

** Ruk1aL0v3r**  
_** Skateprincess031**__ Check the __** RukiaFansOfficial**__ twitter page, they just tweeted a photo of Rukia dancing with Toshiro Shiba and they're like SUPER close!_

** Skateprincess031**  
_AHH! #RukiShiro lives!_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_Toshiro Shiba is so hot! Rukia is one lucky bitch (crying face)_

** TheRealYumichika**  
_What I wouldn't give to have my hips pressed against his like that… (wink) #RukiShiro_

** Toshiupdates**  
_EVEN YUMICHIKA AYASEGAWA SHIPS __** TheRealYumichika**__ #RukiShiro !_

** Ranchanismyqueen**  
_Oh I bet Rangiku would be loving this! But for realz tho, it would be good to see Toshiro Shiba with a new girlfriend #RukiShiro_

** Toshiupdates**  
_Totally agree with you __** Ranchanismyqueen **__! My babs deserves to be happy again (heart)_

…

**So I based all my characters very loosely on real life Australian winter sports athletes if you wanted to look them up.**

**Toshiro – Scotty James (my husband though he doesn't know it yet)**

**Rangiku – Torah Bright**

**Ichigo – David Morris**

**Yuzu & Jinta – ****Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya & Harley Windsor**


	5. Trust Me

At some awful time in the early hours of the night, Toshiro woke with a start, the sound of something hitting the glass balcony door alerting him instantly. He was a light sleeper usually, but even lighter away from home; every foreign sound a potential danger to his tired and disorientated mind.

Beside him, Rangiku's soft breathing and body warmth reminded him of where he was and why. He nudged her and she groaned.

"Did you hear that?" he hissed into the dark room.

"Hear what?" Rangiku grunted sleepily, rolling over and away from him. "Go to sleep."

Toshiro shifted up onto his elbows and looked at the glass doors, both of which were currently covered by thick ugly curtains. He waited a second and heard nothing, not even the sound of party-goers returning to their rooms. Maybe he had imagined it, or perhaps it was a just a bird; whatever the case, it probably wasn't something worth fretting about when he needed to be sleeping. Just as Toshiro had shrugged it off and laid back down, another more distinctive clink of something hard hitting the glass door was heard throughout the room and it was loud enough that even Rangiku lifted her head.

Reaching for the lamp, Toshiro flicked on the light, flooding the room with a soft, yellow glow.

"You heard that, right?" he murmured and he and Rangiku shared a glance; oh yeah, she heard it.

They rolled out of their respective sides of the bed and quickly pulled on shoes and jackets, Rangiku opting for her white team jacket and Toshiro slipping back on the one from his date, since it was all he really had with him. Someone had obviously thrown something at their balcony, not once but twice, meaning they were trying to get their attention. Toshiro shook his head, grumbling internally; who would want them at this hour?

Rangiku, ready first, braved the balcony – opening the curtains, sliding open the glass doors and stepping out. Toshiro glanced up from where he was tucking his shoe laces inside his shoe, since he couldn't be bothered to tie them up, and watched curiously as Rangiku's body language became surprised as she glanced down to the ground below, and then immediately she began trying to fix her bed tousled hair. Interested, Toshiro followed her out, eyes widening when he spotted Rukia and Gin down below.

The Irish skater had not gone to find sex elsewhere thank goodness, although Toshiro had the uncomfortably possessive thought that he would rather see her in his snow gear than Gin's. She was still wearing his scarf though, which made him a bit smug if he was being honest. He smiled sheepishly at her, a little embarrassed by the way he had left their date, but she was looking decidedly away from him, entirely ignoring his presence on the balcony, which sent a bit of an apprehensive wave through his body. She was mad him. Seven stories below and yet he could tell. It did not leave a good feeling in his heart. What was she doing here then?

After a moment, Rukia seemed to hit Gin roughly in the back, the silver haired man jolting slightly before he began to speak, eyes locked on Rangiku.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Gin projected his voice up to them and Toshiro immediately rolled his eyes in endless suffering.

Why was it they couldn't go anywhere without some mad hatter falling for Rangiku and causing a scene for her attention? More importantly, why was Toshiro always present to it and why was it usually during his precious sleep time?

"Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  
And summer's lease hath all too short a date," Gin continued. "Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimmed; and every fair from fair sometime declines, by chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed."

Toshiro sighed in resigned acceptance of his fate as a witness to yet another weirdo's peacock moment. If there had been a seat on the tiny balcony, he would have sat because he had seen enough of these moments to know that they often dragged on when Rangiku was in the mood to humour them.

To be fair, Toshiro had never quite seen _this_ before. None of the guys who went after Rangiku were the Shakespeare type, in fact most of them were illiterate. The men who usually went after her thought with their dicks, too stupid to realise why the smart men were so scared to talk to her. Gin seemed to have his head on straight though, so goodness knows what kind of courage it took for him to recite Shakespeare's sonnets to Rangiku Matsumoto, especially as other athletes were now popping out onto their balconies to see what the fuss was about.

One glance over at his best friend told him she was eating it all up, practically melting against the balcony railing.

Two balconies over and Toshiro spotted his father emerge from his room only to roll his eyes in tired amusement and retreat when he saw what was happening. Isshin too was no stranger to this type of event, no longer interested in seeing how things panned out.

"But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, when in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee," Gin finally finished to the claps of other swooning female athletes and a particularly enthusiastic Rangiku.

"Ah have a rose," Gin called out, holding up the red flower. "Dae yeh mind if ah come an' give yeh it?"

Rangiku glanced at Toshiro who groaned softly; he was going to get kicked out of her room too, wasn't he? Where the fuck was he going to sleep now? His strawberry blonde friend grinned knowingly at him before she turned back to Gin.

"Of course," she answered, all too delighted. "I can meet you at the front door-"

Cut off mid-sentence, Rangiku suddenly gasped and almost threw herself over the balcony to see what was happening below.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked and Toshiro glanced over the edge to see Gin parkouring up the side of the hotel, running up walls and leaping balcony to balcony.

Well now this was taking an interesting turn. This was worth the attention he was getting, not the Shakespeare shit.

Watching with a frown as Gin made his way up seven stories with no harness or safety net, Toshiro tried to gear himself up mentally to change rooms. He could go sleep with his sisters, he supposed, but then if Jinta was in there next to Yuzu, Toshiro would probably want to hit the little shit and he would be forced to share with Karin who would treat him like a soccer ball and kick him all night long.

"M'lady," Gin grinned, reaching their balcony finally. He stayed on the outer side of the balcony railing and held out the rose for Rangiku to take.

Rangiku, blushing brighter than her hot pink pyjamas, accepted it with a girly giggle. Toshiro rolled his eyes again as she turned to goo in front of them, tucking her hair behind her ear and smelling the rose while Gin looked on, rightly quite proud of himself.

He got a prize out of it quickly, Rangiku leaning forward to kiss his cheek. The tall man almost fell which had Toshiro jerking forward automatically, hands out to catch him, but it wasn't necessary, Rangiku had him, her fist in his jacket and surprising strength holding the silver haired man in place.

"You're mental," Rangiku grinned at him. "Mental and adorable."

"Ah prefer charming," Gin chuckled.

"That too," Rangiku smirked. "Among other things…"

There was a glint in her eyes that Toshiro had seen before and knew he was certainly going to have to relocate bedrooms very soon. If he couldn't sleep with his sisters and his own room was out of play, that really only left Isshin and Kukaku's room. Now, was it weirder for a twenty three year old man to share a bed with his father or his aunt? He would have more space in Kukaku's bed but she would probably try and cuddle him, drawing up the weirdness factor again.

Toshiro could see the words on the tip of Rangiku's tongue, ready to ask Gin to spend the night here with her, but surprisingly it never came.

"Ah better go," Gin murmured as the two of them stared annoyingly into each other's eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Rangiku asked hopefully.

"Yeh bet," Gin flashed her another grin before Rangiku let go of his jacket now that the man was stable again and stepped away.

So wait, Toshiro wasn't getting kicked out of her room that night? Jesus Christ, that meant Rangiku was more serious about this guy than first thought.

The snowboard cross athlete turned and leapt on to the wall and then dropped to the next balcony down.

"You can use the door!" Rangiku called after him, laughing.

"Yeah but tha' wouldn't have been nearly as impressive," Gin called back cheekily, causing Rangiku to giggle again and Toshiro roll his eyes once more.

Sure Rangiku was pretty, but was that worth potentially plummeting to your death over? Maybe Gin really was an idiot.

The man made it to the ground and bounded happily back to Rukia. Toshiro observed the interaction, trying to read Rukia's body language but he couldn't. It was hard to tell how angry she was at him, especially since he was still wearing his scarf which undoubtedly would be masked with his scent. He offered her another smile as she glanced at him but she looked away again, this time turning on the spot and hurrying off. She left; no smile, no wave, nothing. Well, that didn't seem like a good sign.

"How cute is he?!" Rangiku swooned, watching the pair scurry back to their hotel.

"You know what's cuter?" Toshiro grumbled. "Him doing this during the day time."

Rangiku laughed heartedly, "Misses out on one night of sex and five minutes of sleep and he turns into such grump."

"It's been more than five minutes," Toshiro scoffed, turning back into the room and kicking off his shoes.

Rangiku was rolling her eyes now, following him in and pressing the rose to her nose as she closed the balcony door behind her.

As Toshiro slipped back into the bed and Rangiku went about taking off her shoes and jacket, the hotel room door opened and Yoruichi stumbled in, the strong smell of tequila following her.

"Dudes, check it out!" she exclaimed excitedly, apparently unfazed that Toshiro was there. "There's some guy reciting Shakespeare and climbing the walls out there."

"We know," Toshiro groaned, rolling over; when was he going to get some damn sleep?

Rangiku held up her rose to show Yoruichi who laughed and rolled her eyes (a common theme for the night it seemed).

"Oh that'd be right," Yoruichi chuckled. "Can't keep 'em away, can you Ran?"

Toshiro groaned sufferingly and pulled the pillow out from under his head, slamming it down over his face in attempt to block out the light, sound and potentially air because he would rather smother himself than listen to these two women prattle on all night.

"What's wrong with him?" he heard Yoruichi hiss, mostly because she wasn't being as quiet as she thought she was.

"Sexually frustrated," Rangiku answered, giggling like she wasn't the menace who had forced him into this position in the first place.

"Fuck off," Toshiro muttered. "We have a heat tomorrow and I have a bet to win so get to bed both of you."

"Okay, Dad," Yoruichi sung, and he heard her throw herself onto the mattress.

Rangiku giggled and climbed in beside him, but not before putting her rose in some water and taking about fifty pictures of it with her phone. Eventually, Toshiro grew frustrated and leaned across to turn off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Finally, when Rangiku returned and settled down, and Yoruichi started to snore softly, Toshiro could go to fucking sleep.

…

The halfpipe – snowboarding's signature competition and the first snowboarding event to appear at the Olympic Games (well, alongside the giant slalom but who counted that?).

His _father's _event.

Now though, the halfpipe was Toshiro's main event and his absolute favourite. Slopestyle was great too of course, a nostalgic reminder of the afternoons he spent rolling around the skate park on his old Element board, up and down ramps and jibbing over rails, but it just couldn't compare to the sheer thrill of the halfpipe.

Thirty seconds, five tricks, unlimited adrenalin pumping through his veins. Fucking beautiful.

"Do you have any bets placed on this one?" Karin asked, smirking at him from where she sat in the snow beside Rangiku.

Once again, she was the only Shiba sibling to come cheer him on today, while Yuzu and Ichigo had gone shopping at the little boutique stores around St Moritz, unique fashion at ridiculous prices apparently more appealing. _Whatever_, he was used to it now and on the bright side, Yoruichi and Kukaku had both come up the mountain to watch him and were currently sitting in the audience.

Toshiro grinned back, "Sure do."

His sister raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. Rolling his eyes, Toshiro told her about the next bet he had made with Rukia after their date last night, when she had agreed to open up to him if he won his heat. After seeing her last night and knowing she was mad at him, he hoped by winning his event today and therefore the bet, he could spend some time alone with her and straighten out the tension.

"Well," Karin clicked her tongue, smiling playfully, "you better bring it then."

Like the slopestyle, the ladies and men's heats were to be held back to back. There were two heats for the ladies of twelve competitors in each and two heats for the men's with fourteen riders in the first and fifteen in the second. Again, each rider would get two runs and again, the best score of each would determine their final ranking for the day with the top six in each heat progressing to next week's finals.

Rangiku – who was currently lying back in the snow, arm thrown over her eyes to block out the sun and still clutching that silly rose Gin had given her last night – was the last female rider to perform of the day, going twelfth in heat two. Once again she was separated from Tatsuki who had done her runs in the first heat.

Toshiro was the last rider in heat one, with his main competition, Ikkaku Madarame, competing last in the following heat as reigning Olympic and World Champion, just as Rangiku was in the women's competition.

They were really in the thick of things now, with the first ladies heat done and dusted, and the second one about to get underway. The air was full of excitement, anticipation and nervous energy but Toshiro found himself much calmer than the previous day, possibly because he had now done one of his events and nailed it, but even more likely because he knew that he was very much the favourite to win his heat. He was to go last, giving him the run alternating advantage he hadn't had against Grimmjow in the slopestyle heats, and Ikkaku was placed in a separate heat which really lessened Toshiro's risk of losing first place. There were no surprise competitors for the men's event; Toshiro knew every single man across the two heats – he had seen them all perform before, knowing their strengths and weaknesses.

The same could not be said for the women's competition, with one particular new addition – Yachiru Zaraki – triggering quite the stir.

"Rangiku, your heat is up now," Isshin announced, returning with her Olympic bib.

Sighing, Rangiku sat up, carefully laying her rose on top of her snowboard bag. She stood, collecting her gear and following her coach to the where the rest of her heat was gathering.

"You'll kill it!" Toshiro called after her, but she ignored him.

Karin sighed beside him, tilting her head as they watched the retreating long strawberry locks, "She's…"

The dark haired twin didn't finish the sentence but Toshiro knew what the next word was going to be anyway and hummed in agreement, nervous for best friend.

It had been a very interesting first heat in the women's competition, the first rider, a pink haired little brat they had known since she was ten, setting an impossibly high bar despite many not expecting her to even qualify for the finals.

Yachiru was the daughter of Kenpachi Zaraki and trained alongside her father's other two athletes, Ikkaku and Yumichika, spending her New Zealand summers at Whistler alongside Toshiro and Rangiku. She had been killing it in the junior competitions and really looked up to Rangiku, the strawberry blonde adoring her little Kiwi shadow and regularly helping her with her technique. Last season had been her first in a senior division, starting out quite rough but by the time they made it to Worlds in March, she managed to find herself a place in the top thirty women in the world, just narrowly qualifying for the Olympics. Today, aged seventeen, Yachiru had competed in her first Olympic event, causing great upset amongst the more experienced riders as she took out first place in her heat with a score in the low nineties that even Tatsuki couldn't beat.

Toshiro and Rangiku had watched her runs through wide, surprised eyes – gone was the annoying little brat that had once hounded Toshiro night and day for piggyback rides, her Hannah Montana snowboard half the size of his. The young woman flying up the sides of the halfpipe was a completely different person and was a champion in the making. They had trained alongside the New Zealanders for years now and always knew the pink haired teenager would grow into a strong snowboarder but they had not imagined it would happen so soon.

"Well," Rangiku had breathed as Yachiru's scores had been revealed, "looks like I have my work cut out for me."

There had been a touch of apprehension in Rangiku's eyes while they watched Yachiru's run, the current world number one on the halfpipe suddenly feeling her position on the throne at threat. Toshiro had remembered feeling a little shocked too, Rangiku's halfpipe reign had not be tested in a long time – she had always been too good, even on her bad days.

When it was eventually time for Rangiku's heat she did not hold back. She was sloppy though, Toshiro watched through worried eyes as his best friend flew through her run, clearly rattled by the level of competition she had seen in heat one. The audience couldn't tell but he could, and no doubt Isshin could, Rangiku letting go of her grabs early and landing much rougher than she normally would. On the second last trick, Rangiku had landed further down the halfpipe wall which had lessened her speed and momentum going into the final trick, leaving her last without enough height to get through all the rotations she had planned. Fortunately, the woman was experienced enough to know when to pull back her trick, knowing a less difficult trick executed perfectly would be worth more than a harder trick crashed.

The audience still cheered wildly as she skidded to a stop at the bottom of the pipe. She unclipped the board from her feet and stepped off, the large screens around her replaying the tricks in slow motion while judges silently deliberated over her scores. Toshiro pursed his lips together as he watched Rangiku greet her fellow competitors at the bottom, hugging them all before turning back to wait for her scores, the cameras zooming in on her smiling face, none of them seeing the true upset he knew she was feeling. He could read her so easily after all these years, he noticed the subtle changes in her persona – the hugs that had been one armed instead of two, the smile that had twitched for just a moment, the slight slouch in her spine and the tensing of her muscles. Rangiku was thrown off by Yachiru's flawless run earlier; there was no question about it.

Her score was revealed – 87.25, enough to be in the lead for heat two, but not enough to beat Yachiru's score which happened to be 91.00.

Thankfully Rangiku still had her second run to improve her score, and Toshiro hoped Isshin would be able to talk her round. It was rare that Rangiku was ever off her game, so it was clear she must have been really rattled by what happened. Toshiro supposed there was a lot of pressure on her shoulders to take back to back Olympic gold, especially as the face of snowboarding in Australia; until now, Rangiku hadn't been challenged in the halfpipe by anyone but herself, but after the run Yachiru had put down in just the heat, well he could see why she was worried. Yachiru was much younger, her energy unparalleled, and she was smaller, getting in tighter rotations even if she lacked the sheer amplitude Rangiku could push.

"Still a solid run?" Karin offered as they watched the women trek it back up the slope for their second runs.

"Yeah," Toshiro agreed, but he doubted Rangiku saw it that way. It was hard to gage how she was reacting since until now she had never really felt much pressure, she had never really cared where she placed; she knew her parents were proud of her, she knew she worked hard to get her technique down, so she never worried. Today, something had changed in her. Toshiro hoped it was a fleeting feeling born purely from the shock of Yachiru's run and she would be able to shake it off for her next run.

Eleven ladies went again before Rangiku was called up for a second time. There were a few minor changes to the leader board during the second runs with Rangiku's name dropping down to second place by a Swiss rider, but as Toshiro saw her standing at the top of the pipe, rolling her shoulders back, she looked more relaxed. Whatever Isshin had said to her was working.

Rangiku's second run was far better and Toshiro breathed a sigh of relief. She had come down the side of the halfpipe wall and launched straight into a front side air, where she basically just went flying through the air, crouching and grabbing the side of her board and nailing the amplitude and flavour points straight up. It was definitely the highest reaching trick of the day. She had landed almost at the very top of the wall too, giving the speed and momentum she needed to throw herself into her second trick off the opposite way, the backside 540. Rangiku had spent all season working on a version of that trick that only men normally attempted, but the audience would have to wait until the finals to see what she could do with it.

The landing was smooth and set up the perfect transition for her air to fakie, which was similar to the front side air except she would spin 180 degrees to set her up switch for the next trick. Again, she flew up the wall gaining incredible height, grabbing the tail end of her board and popping her front foot out. The position of her body was so controlled and her style was surely worth many flavour points.

Headed for the other side of the wall again, Rangiku executed a perfect switch front side, or cab, 720, earning a number of loud cheers from the spectators. To finish it off, Rangiku slashed along the rim of the halfpipe's wall, sending a spray of snow out into a delighted audience, throwing her hands up in success as she glided down and twisted herself to stop suddenly at the bottom. Toshiro grinned, her second run had been much better. Rangiku looked a million times more confident as she jumped and celebrated with the other women before her scores had even come up.

91.15, it was a narrow victory over Yachiru, but an easy win in her heat. Regardless, Rangiku looked very pleased with herself as she was surrounded by media.

"Alright Tosh, let's go," Isshin called, returning. "They're resetting for the men's competition and you're in the first heat."

Toshiro nodded and followed his coach back into the area behind the opening of the halfpipe, a number of his fellow competitors trailing in with their coaches.

"You look more confident today," Isshin observed, tilting his head as he watched Toshiro stretch his leg against a hand rail. "Can I assume your date went well yesterday?"

Shrugging, although his lips couldn't help but twitch into a small smirk, "I'm more confident because the halfpipe is my better event and I get to go last in my heat."

Isshin smirked, "And the date?"

"It went very well," Toshiro grinned. "Did Zeke email you the skydiving shots?"

"He did," the dark haired man nodded. "Looks like you had fun, I was glad to see it."

"I did have fun," Toshiro chuckled as he switched to the other leg, "even though I was scared shitless."

Laughing heartedly, Isshin stepped forward and ruffled Toshiro's hair, obviously happy his words and advice from the night before they had left for Switzerland had managed to sink in.

Continuing through his regular stretches, Toshiro felt a small amount of nerves settle in his stomach but they were nothing more than the normal pre-run tensions. He stretched and warmed his way through them, popping in his earphones and listening to his carefully selected workout playlist that left no room for overthinking, just physical energy.

Soon enough, the first men's heat got underway. Toshiro didn't watch the first few go, happy to stay in the little world he had created in the music. He didn't pay attention to the scores going up, or which rider they were even up to, but he did allow his mind to trail back to Rukia and wonder if she was watching his heat today from somewhere, and whether she would be rooting for him, even with the bet riding on it. This time it was her who was on the line, and while Toshiro couldn't claim that he knew her all that well yet, she did give off a certain vibe that told men she was closed off emotionally. Would she want him to win? Or would she pray for him to miss out, to avoid opening up? Toshiro was going for gold and would be trying his absolute best to win this heat and the bet, but he wasn't a monster – he would never force her to do anything if she didn't want to. He would, however, encourage her to step outside her comfort zone, and he just hoped she could trust him.

Isshin was waving at him, calling his attention back.

Exhaling softly, Toshiro pulled out his earphones and cord, heading over to his father and exchanging them for his board, helmet and eye mask, putting them all on while watching out of the corner of his eye as the rider before him took off down the slope. The guy, Hanataro, was the Japanese athlete who took bronze at the X-Games and Worlds, sitting under Toshiro and Ikkaku at both events. He was very good; small statured like Toshiro but somehow managing to get massive height on his first trick, a front side air that had him flying into the sky. He got decent amplitude marks and brilliant technical, but his flavour lacked behind that of Ikkaku and Toshiro. They were considered the current top three in the sport, but each had one of the major scoring weaknesses, and each were different; Hanataro lacked flavour predominately but also amplitude once his tricks got more technical, Ikkaku being so tall and lanky struggled getting in rotations and therefore struggled on technical elements and Toshiro, while his flavour and technique were spot on, he didn't have the size behind him to gain the height he needed to match his competitors' amplitude points.

Hanataro finished with an impressive 86.34, his name sliding in at first place before the officials called for Toshiro to come forward.

Isshin was beside him, telling him to concentrate on the dragon below him as he always did. Toshiro automatically zoning into the little inner world he had created with Hyorinmaru while absently checking over all of his straps – board, helmet, goggles, all secured. The distant rumble of a dragon was all he could hear in his mind as the cheers of the audience and booming voice of the announcer disappeared. Around him, everyone vanished; it was just Toshiro, his dragon board and the pipe.

He was given the green light and Toshiro inhaled, twisting into his regular stance and sliding down the side of the pipe before dipping in over the edge, down the pipe wall before speeding up the opposite wall and launching into his first trick, the front side 1260. Landing perfectly high up on the wall, Toshiro shot down and prepared for the back to back trick on the opposite wall, a backside 1260, this too was landed effortlessly to the sounds of delighted cheers.

Flying into his third trick, Toshiro shot up the wall and into a much simpler 900, grabbing the nose of his board and popping his body out. The fourth trick was an air to fakie, designed to show some of his flavour again and get those style points, smoothly setting himself up switch for his finale. To finish off, Toshiro flew up the halfpipe wall and ended his run with a cab double cork 1260 which involved three and a half rotations while flipping two times over, the audience volume a testament to the run he had performed.

Toshiro glided to the bottom, twisting suddenly to stop himself at the base of the pipe where his fellow competitors and the officials waited for him. He couldn't stop grinning, even when he knew the cameras were focusing on him; he always came out of the pipe feeling so alive, adrenalin flooding his blood stream. He unclipped his board as the screens replayed his run, showing all those perfectly executed 1260s.

1260s were nothing to him anymore; he, Ikkaku and Hanataro were all about the 1440s now which saw them going from three and a half rotations to four full rotations. Ikkaku had been first to land one, upping his technical score which otherwise would have seen him lose the World Champion title to Toshiro a year ago. Toshiro, and every other snowboarder competing, had been stunned; no one had ever attempted a 1440 in competition before. By the time the next major competition, the X-Games, rolled around ten months later, it was unsurprising to find many of the experienced riders giving it a go, with most of them falling. Ikkaku had trained hard, managing to push the 1440 into a back to back trick, while Hanataro had pulled off a double cork 1440 which would have been worth more than a non-corked 1440 had Ikkaku not done two in a row, but Toshiro…

Well, Toshiro and Isshin had been strategic; they knew that was exactly what the two other men would be trying to bring to the competition and they needed a way to one up them both. Toshiro learned the double cork 1440 as Hanataro had done but he had gone the extra mile and turned that into a back to back trick, just as Ikkaku had done with the non-corked version of the trick. With the double corks thrown in, Toshiro had snatched gold from the Olympic champion's hands.

The month between then and the Olympics had been the biggest push of Toshiro's life – he had developed a highly technical final run for the Olympics that would surely beat Ikkaku's back to backs and Hanataro's double cork again, and the white haired snowboarder had every intention of taking it to the top of the podium.

His score was revealed; 88.25, easily slotting into first place.

Relief flooded him, even though he hadn't been all that concerned, but his celebration time was cut short as the heat one riders were marched back up the slope, preparing for a second run.

The second run went almost exactly as the first had done, with only one notable difference. Hanataro fell on his second trick, cutting his run dramatically short. It looked like he had tried to push a 1260 to 1440 last second, as if he only decided as he had taken off that he wanted to perform his higher level trick and as a result, clipped the lip of the wall, crashing into the hard packed snow. The medics had rushed to him but the young Japanese rider was physically fine, if only a little mentally crushed. Still, his first run score was enough to keep him in second place at the end of the heat. That also meant Toshiro was still in first and would remain that way, even if he majorly screwed up this next run, which in turn meant he had already won his date with Rukia.

Toshiro grinned the whole way through his second run. The fact that he had already won didn't make him lazy this round but in fact gave him an extra confidence boost, letting him really try and push his height limits and exemplify his skateboarding flavour. He showed the world who he was; the kid from Jindabyne that spent far more time flying fearlessly up and down ramps than indoors playing video games, spending winters on the slopes and summers at the skate park.

He kept the run the same, but worked on improving his technique, tightening his rotations and showing observant audience members that he was well capable of pushing 1440s, which is exactly what he would be doing in the finals next week.

His second run was met with an improved score, an even 90.00 to cap off his perfect morning. Ikkaku would likely beat it, but he was in a separate heat and therefore didn't impact Toshiro's qualifying, or his bet with Rukia.

Shaking hands with Hanataro and many of the others in his heat, Toshiro pushed through the officials and media, temporarily ignoring their questions. Toshiro had a rule for competitions – coach first. It was just his way of being able to follow his personal rule, which was 'father first', without seeming like a dick to the media. He found Isshin quickly, the man making his way down from the top of the slope and Toshiro allowed himself to be pulled him into a tight hold.

"I'm so proud of you," Isshin told him excitedly. "You did so brilliantly, my boy."

Burying his head in the man's puffy snow jacket, Toshiro smiled to himself; gods he loved these moments.

"Go on," Isshin exhaled, releasing his athlete and nudging him back towards the media, "and leave your helmet on so they can see your sponsor."

Flashing him a bit of a cheeky grin, Toshiro turned back to face the cameras and journalists that were converging on him. There were more than had been at the slopestyle, likely because the halfpipe was a more popular event.

"Toshiro, will you performing a 1440 like we saw at the X-Games?" an America reporter asked.

"What about the switch back twelve?" another reporter asked, his accent eastern European.

"Are you worried about matching your rival, Ikkaku Madarame?" a New Zealand journalist asked.

They were practically leaping over each other to get their questions in, none of them wanting to miss the second men's heat which was due to start any minute.

"Ikkaku is a good friend of mine," Toshiro shrugged, smiling. "I can't wait to see what he brings to the competition this year, and it's an honour to compete with him at this level. As for the finals, you'll just have to wait and see…"

Toshiro left them hanging with a mischievous wink before turning back to his chuckling coach, the former bronze medallist leading him back to the girls, both Rangiku and Karin flinging their arms around him. He grinned into them, glad they were both here for him today – not that Rangiku really had a choice but he supposed she didn't really have to stick around for his heat if she didn't want to.

Isshin led them back to the chairlifts; this time Toshiro rode with Rangiku while Isshin rode with Karin.

It was a long ride down and Toshiro listened as Rangiku spoke about the Yachiru shock, still fiddling aimlessly with Gin's rose. It seemed she had been shocked at first, and understandably shaken, but apparently it hadn't been Isshin who talked her around for her second run but Yachiru herself. Yachiru had caught up with Rangiku on her walk back up the slope and apparently while the girl's riding had changed dramatically, her demeanour was still the same. She idolised Rangiku and was gushing to her about how she had inspired her to work so hard on her runs, watching Rangiku's old competitions on repeat to nail those tricks. She told Rangiku that Ikkaku and Yumichika had teased her that she would never make it to the podium and that pushed her further to practice relentlessly. Somewhere along the way, Rangiku was reminded of herself, about how she got into snowboarding in the first place and that maybe losing to Yachiru wouldn't be so bad. She was the girl's idol and muse after all, and wasn't that Rangiku's true purpose? To encourage girls in the sport and pass on her wisdom?

"Anyway, enough about me," Rangiku grinned, nudging him. "Are you going to message Rukia?"

"Please," Toshiro scoffed. "You love it when we talk about you."

"I do," Rangiku admitted with a laugh, "but I love talking about your love life more. So, Rukia?"

Toshiro shrugged, looking down as the mountain passed beneath their feet, "I don't know. I think she's mad about last night."

"She's probably just frustrated, like you were," Rangiku pointed out, smirking. "I think she will probably be desperate to see you again."

Sighing, the white haired snowboarder pulled out his phone, hesitating a second longer. She was definitely mad at him, or perhaps frustrated like Rangiku said, but something uncomfortable settled in Toshiro's stomach, something that told him there was more to it. His finger hovered over his Instagram app but he eventually relented, opening it up. He moved to his direct messages but before he could bring up his previous conversation with Rukia, another one suddenly lit up with an unread message.

** MomoShiro, 13:09pm:**  
_Did u srsly take that irish skank on a date?_  
_It's supposed to b me with u over there_

Momo had also attached a picture, a screenshot of a gossip article from an Australian online magazine titled 'Love at the Olympics: Aussie snowboarder dating Irish skating superstar' with a picture header of him and Rukia connected at the hips on the dancefloor, obviously taken at the Spanish bar last night. Toshiro felt himself deflate – he had tried to choose a date location far away from the happenings of the Olympics and the media frenzy that surrounded it and yet they were still caught. Maybe that's why Rukia was mad at him?

Sighing, Toshiro ignored the message, and ignored the messages that followed as Momo undoubtedly received a 'read' notification from him. Instead he flicked over to Rukia's inbox and began to type.

** Toshhiba, 13:11pm: **  
_Hey :) I won my heat, I think that means I get to see you again…_  
_What are you doing this afternoon?_

He had ignored all the stuff about her being mad at him, hoping to gauge it more when he saw her next. Maybe he was overthinking it all or maybe her mood last night hadn't been entirely about him. Either way, it didn't seem like a good idea to send her messages fretting about it, he would probably come off as a worried, clingy boyfriend-wannabe and then she definitely would avoid him.

The chairlift finally made it to the bottom of the mountain and Toshiro and Rangiku hopped off, quickly catching up to Isshin and Karin, as well as Yoruichi and Kukaku who had made it down from the audience, leaving before the second men's heat as they had little interest now that Toshiro and Rangiku had qualified. Both women, and secondary mother figures in his life, hugged him close in congratulations and Toshiro hummed contently into them, especially when Kukaku pulled his beanie back to kiss his forehead.

"Good run, kiddo," she murmured. "We're very proud of you."

The six of them headed towards the Village, running into Ichigo and Yuzu, both of whom were towing an armful of shopping bags. Toshiro did not get congratulatory hugs from either of them although Yuzu flashed him a cute smile and promised to watch the replay later that night.

"I'm starving," Karin groaned as they reached the Village.

"Hi Starving, I'm Dad," Isshin grinned to himself, proud of his joke, until Karin kicked him in the shins and walked away towards their hotel.

Everyone else laughed at Isshin's dramatics as he hobbled around, crying out that his baby girl was so violent and '_how did she get this way?!'_, before eventually following Karin up to the rooms.

"Are you meeting up with Rukia now?" Rangiku asked quietly as they reached the seventh floor.

"I don't know," Toshiro shrugged, feeling the disappointment coming out in his voice. "She hasn't replied yet."

Rangiku frowned but didn't say anything else, not that he gave her much of a chance entering into his room and leaving her in the hallway.

Dumping his snowboarding bag on the ground and kicking it under the bed so it would be out of Ichigo's way, Toshiro flopped onto the mattress and sighed deeply. Behind him, his brother entered the room and began unpacking his shopping, constantly pausing to text on his phone, each ding a reminder that his Irish interest was actually texting him back while Toshiro's still wasn't and it had been an hour now. The Shiba middle child felt more and more pathetic with each passing minute, especially when he began trying to refresh his Instagram app, and even resorting to closing the app and opening it up again, and then to restarting his whole phone. Just in case it was an internet connectivity issue… this did not appear to be the case though, especially when he received a WhatsApp text from Karin.

**Karin, 14:21pm:** _Wanna go to the canteen? I'm getting hangry and I'm about to punch Jinta in the face._

Toshiro felt his lips twitch.

**Toshiro, 14:22pm:** _Please do._

**Karin, 14:22pm:** _Only if you come to the canteen with me._

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro texted back agreeing to meet her at the elevator. There was no point lying in bed all afternoon waiting for Rukia to text and stewing in his thoughts.

Sitting up with a slight groan, Toshiro glanced over to Ichigo who was grinning into his phone like a love struck idiot.

"Karin and I are going to the canteen if you wanna come," he murmured, not really expecting his strawberry haired brother to accept.

"Yeah, I'm going down now anyway," Ichigo answered, oddly upbeat but Toshiro supposed love did that to some people. "Renji is going to meet me there."

Nodding, Toshiro stood and dragged his feet to the door. There was no point showering or changing since it seemed he likely wasn't going to be meeting up with Rukia yet, or _ever_ perhaps – that thought cutting the snowboarder deep.

The boys met Karin by the elevator, with Rangiku rushing to meet them as the lift dinged and the doors slid open. They piled inside, Ichigo still texting and laughing into his phone, Toshiro still checking his Instagram in case he had gotten a message and just missed the notification. He felt Rangiku's eyes on him but ignored her, switching over to Rukia's profile to see if she had uploaded any new pictures or stories recently – she hadn't, not since he had checked ten minutes ago anyway.

"Ichigo, are you texting Renji?" Rangiku asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled. "He has lost his room key, the idiot."

Rangiku grinned and leaned in, speaking to softly to Ichigo. The last time those two had spoken they had plotted the karaoke night – whether Ichigo knew that was to set up Toshiro and Rukia or not was up for debate. Toshiro did have to wonder what they could be talking about this time but he found his mind spiralling in the Rukia-thoughts department and Rangiku's potential plotting took a backseat for the time being.

She still hadn't replied, and he wanted desperately to believe she was busy doing something like training but his mind kept telling him she was just ignoring him. He was very certain she hadn't come up the mountain to watch his heat like he suggested she should, which in itself was disappointing but even more so that it implied that she really was angry at him. He sighed, hitting his head softly against the elevator mirror, the impact dulled by his thick yellow team beanie.

They hit the lobby and headed down to the canteen, grabbing a tray of food each. Karin piled her food up and began scoffing it down as soon as they reached the table, while Toshiro picked absently at his salad, unconsciously sorting the ingredients into separate piles and only eating the avocado slices, mind on a raven haired skater. Rangiku and Ichigo returned to the table too, tucking in instantly.

"Not hungry, Bub?" Rangiku poked him with the end of her fork.

"Just tired," he murmured, flashing her a half-hearted 'that's your fault' glare.

"Oh yeah what the fuck was that?" Karin exclaimed suddenly, looking up from her Thai green curry. "I saw the video this morning."

"You didn't hear it?" Toshiro frowned, considering the girls were in the room next door.

"No, I sleep like a log, you know that," Karin laughed before turning back to Rangiku. "So are you dating him now?"

Rangiku blushed, "No we're not dating, not yet anyway. I'm taking things really slow, just to be sure he's not… Like the others."

"Fair enough," Karin grimaced. She turned back to Toshiro and nudged him hard. "What about you and Rukia?"

Toshiro shrugged, finding his salad of high interest despite not really eating it.

"She hasn't replied to him about meeting up this afternoon," Rangiku helpfully informed Karin who made a knowing 'ah' sound, "but I'm sure she's just training or working out, Bub, or maybe she's gone to watch one of the other events, I'm sure she's not ignoring you."

"Yeah, she doesn't seem like the type of girl to shy away from an honest bet," Karin offered. "She might even be catching up on sleep or something after last night."

Shrugging again, Toshiro nodded to their words. All valid suggestions but Toshiro had a bad feeling. Of course he did, he was attached again and this was the anxiety that settled in his stomach because he was heavily invested now and he knew Rukia definitely wasn't. She was still there for the sex and he hadn't done enough to convince her otherwise yet.

"Hey you lucky lot," Rangiku called out, her voice chipper and when Toshiro looked up at her, she was smiling brightly at something behind him.

Bright red hair caught his attention and Toshiro saw Renji slip onto the table beside Ichigo, the couple kissing in greeting. Behind him, Toshiro suspected Gin was lurking based on the way Rangiku's eyes were shining happily and if Gin was behind him then-

Suddenly, and before he could turn around to find out, his green scarf was being returned to him, wrapped around neck once more. Two thin, pale arms were following the scarf, sliding over his shoulders and tightening over his chest; _Rukia._

Relief flooded through him, his entire mood shifting as he inhaled her wintery scent like drug. She was mind-altering, and her arms were around him providing a level of comfort he could barely fathom.

"Hello," he chuckled, barely believing how quickly she had killed the dangerous thoughts in his head, how quickly she set him from an anxious, pessimistic, self-doubting blob to an excited, bouncing, smitten idiot.

She seemed to lean against him in answer and Toshiro placed his arms over hers, turning his head slightly so he could see her midnight hair in his peripheral vision.

He spoke softly, "I thought you were ignoring my messages."

He didn't need the others hearing that, and hearing the slight vulnerability slipping into his voice, but fortunately the others had slipped effortlessly into bubbling conversation and Rukia and Toshiro were in their own little world.

"No I wasn't," Rukia replied, her tone off. She had sounded even more apprehensive than he had. More than that, she sounded scared. Toshiro frowned and tried to twist around to see her face.

Had she been scared to meet up with him? Why? They didn't have any real plans except for the bet which just involved her opening up and – oh. _Oh._

"Want to get away from everyone?" Toshiro found himself asking, putting the pieces together.

She had been worried about opening up to Toshiro as part of the bet, of course she had! Toshiro wanted to kick himself – of the very few things he knew about her, he did know that she didn't like to talk, especially not about anything personal to her.

He felt her nod and step away, and immediately stood up the join her. She was looking down, noticeably avoiding eye contact with everyone at the table, although fortunately most of them were too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice. She looked so anxious, it pulled at Toshiro's heart strings.

Remembering his lunch, Toshiro turned back to frown at it a moment.

"Don't you want to finish it?" Rukia asked and he shook his head quickly.

"I wasn't very hungry," he murmured, picking up the tray.

They waved to their teams as they left the table, dropping his tray off before leaving the canteen. Toshiro led them back to his room, since he could guarantee its availability having left his roommate at the canteen.

During the walk back to his room, Rukia asked about his heat, having apparently watched it in Gin's room. She was particularly interested in Rangiku's morning after Gin had also noticed the women's halfpipe champion was off her game in the first run. Toshiro frowned at that; how close attention had Gin been paying Rangiku over the years to know when she was off like that? Most fans wouldn't have been able to tell unless they really knew the sport and the rider. Toshiro explained about Yachiru – their connection to her, how she adored Rangiku and Rangiku's conclusion for the day.

"So you think Rangiku will feel extra pressure to hold onto her top spot in the finals?" Rukia asked, a slight frown etched on her face.

"Yeah I reckon she will," Toshiro sighed. "I just hope she won't let it get to her. It's a little scary to watch, she's never been rattled like that before."

They headed up to his room and Toshiro opened the door to let her through. Following behind, Toshiro remembered to slip the 'do not disturb' sign on the outside handle, warning Ichigo if he returned; unlike the first night Toshiro had brought Rukia back to his room, he didn't know if Ichigo was planning to spend the night with Renji.

"Sorry I never got your Instagram messages," Rukia was saying as he closed the door and turned to face her. "I don't often check them."

It was said with such nonchalance, like she didn't care at all. Toshiro would have been mildly offended if he hadn't worked out the truth already. He knew she was scared, and he didn't want her to be that way with him; he didn't want her to avoid him out of fear or anxiety. Judging by the way she was trying to lean against a desk, trying to get comfortable only to look less and less comfortable by the second, that was exactly how she was feeling.

"Look Rukia," Toshiro spoke carefully. "I'd never force you to do something you were uncomfortable with, you know that right?"

He frowned, hating that he actually had to say that out loud but he was reminded that she didn't know him all that well still, and she couldn't assume that about him like his long term friends could.

"I know," Rukia said, voice soft and grim, like she was expecting the worst, "but you won the bet."

Staring, Toshiro observed her, sadness coming over him as she shrugged and looked away, her whole body tensed. She was highly on edge right now and that broke Toshiro's heart. He had to remind himself that they had only just met, that there had been no time to build a significant level of trust, despite jumping out of a plane together. It came down to how different they were; she was so closed off and untrusting, as one half of Toshiro could be around his family, but the real him was open and some might say naïve, and that's why he fell in love so quickly. That was why he was already so attached to Rukia after half a week.

Sighing deeply and pulling off his beanie so he could run his hand through his hair, Toshiro kicked off his shoes and sat back on the bed, wondering how they got here. It was that silly chase, wasn't it? The one where he had to play all those annoying sexual-tension inducing games to attract her. Toshiro hated games, he had said that so many times but the world didn't listen; he just wanted to have an honest conversation with the girl he liked.

Bringing up legs and folding them below him, Toshiro decided to take a different route.

"Tell me about this emergency room trip with the butt plug then," he started, hoping it would firstly break the tension.

It did, and Rukia laughed, covering her eyes in embarrassment.

Toshiro felt his lips twitch. It was what Rukia had done to him last night; she started with some of the Never Have I Ever questions and worked to the more personal, painful topics. As promised, he wouldn't push her if she closed up on him, but he was still going to give prying her open a soft attempt.

"Fuck," she groaned, holding her face in her hands. "Don't ask me that one please."

Despite her words, her tone was much lighter now. This was a safe topic, even though it was obviously embarrassing.

"Oh come on now," Toshiro teased, flashing her a playful smirk. "I won the bet, remember?"

"Fuck me," she groaned again and Toshiro chuckled, only just biting back the comment of 'any time you want'. She was blushing as she started. "Well, there was this guy."

"That's specific," Toshiro commented dryly, mid-way through taking off his team event jacket. She threw a coaster at him and he dodged it easily, sending her a smirk as he laid his jacket to the side, knowing his smugness would annoy her further and every second she was annoyed with him, she wasn't scared of him.

"Shut up," she snapped although it lacked any real bite. "Look, I just wanted to try something, they didn't come with instructions… or maybe they did and I just didn't read them."

The thought made Toshiro grin, never being one to skip any instructions himself and always finding it amusing when someone else did and it backfired on them

"So you started with the large size first?" he asked teasingly, tilting his head. "Rookie error."

She jumped up onto the desk and Toshiro let his eyes scan her body quickly, taking in those delicious tights she wore like she had on the first night. She was also wearing the same team jumper – the nice navy one with the shamrock – the whole outfit making her look so petite and toned. His uniform on the other hand was baggy and thick, made for manoeuvrability at high altitudes. It was a tranquil forest green, both the pants and the jacket, but since he had taken the jacket off, he had exposed the horrific yellow t-shirt underneath. Oh well, it matched his team beanie at least (not that he was wearing it now), even if it did blind everyone when they were out in the sun.

"Yes," she huffed, causing him to laugh before she cut him off again. "The trip wasn't comfortable, I was in a lot of pain."

That sent a shock of protective instinct through Toshiro's blood as he envisioned her lying in the backseat of the car, clenching and teary eyed as she tried to control the pain. He didn't like that thought, not one bit. It was time to pick a new topic.

"Do you really have a crush on Rangiku?" he asked, feeling a touch of apprehension, remembering how she had drunk to this question in the game two nights ago.

If she did, Toshiro was finished because not a single person could ever compete against Rangiku in that department. The strawberry blonde could turn even the straightest of girls if she wanted to and that left Toshiro with terrible fear that one day he and her would fall for the same girl and he, of course, would lose.

"No, I don't," Rukia answered, clearly amused at the thought. "Though she is a very fine woman, if I had to be with a girl she'd be my first choice."

"You'd be hers too," Toshiro muttered under his breath, looking away_. New topic, please!_

"Have you and Gin ever… you know?"

Yeah, Toshiro was going to regret asking that. He knew it as he was saying it but he couldn't stop the words once they were spilling out of him. It was better he knew where they all stood though, Toshiro tried to convince himself, for future reference; he wanted to know if Gin should have been a person he had a problem with or not, especially since he had now taken to hitting on Toshiro's own best friend.

"No," Rukia answered quickly, settling Toshiro's stomach a little. "Look there was a time for ages where fans shipped us and we did genuinely have a long conversation about whether or not we'd actually work as a couple."

Somewhat less settling in his stomach.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say there was never nothing there sexually between us because that would be a lie," she continued, brutal in her honesty.

More unsettling.

"But we're not compatible in the slightest," she resolved, giving Toshiro a moment's hope before crushing it in front of his eyes, "and he gets attached too easily for my taste. He wants to get married, settle down, have kids, all the things I'm against."

_Yep, there it was_. His hope, crushed into fine dust and being blown away in the breeze, scattered beyond repair. Toshiro stared at her, unable to comprehend a person who didn't want a family when it was the most important thing in his life. He would have ten kids if he was allowed, more even.

Her eyes flickered back to him and Toshiro went stoic quickly, and attempted to distract her with another question.

"What languages is it you speak?" he asked and wanted to kick himself, since he already knew the answer and she likely knew that he knew. So much for distracting…

"Irish, English and Japanese," she answered anyway, humouring him.

He nodded casually, trying to fly right by this awkward moment of his, "Why Japanese?"

She smiled at him, explaining how she had grown up on their culture and food, and how so many of her skating heroes had come out of that very country.

"The Japanese tattoo," Toshiro lifted his chin, unconsciously gesturing to the mirror behind her where he had first seen it. "What does it say?"

He had noticed she had tensed at the mere mention of it and Toshiro had almost paused before asking a question about it, feeling a sense they were coming back to the original reason she had been so anxious in the first place. _Baby steps_, Toshiro hoped she could open up to him, just as he had done for her the previous evening.

"It-it doesn't have a direct English translation," she explained slowly, visibly swallowing back fear, "but roughly it says 'when I step onto the ice I fly'."

Toshiro didn't take his eyes off her, observing every tensing muscle, every uncomfortable shift in her weight. It was a highly sentimental tattoo then, like most of his were. He understood that, and maybe he could show her.

Stepping off the bed, Toshiro pulled off the yellow team shirt, leaving himself in just the green snow trousers. He started by pointing out his most sentimental tattoo.

"This snowflake," he showed her. "It was for my mother. I had it put where I imagined my head would lie as she held me. My siblings all have the same one, but in different areas."

Her eyes flickered to him and he felt it but he simply pulled up his other arm, turning the outside of his wrist so she could see the three circles encasing a wave, mountain and tree.

"This one is dedicated to my love for the planet and the Earth," he explained, walking towards her.

"What about the one on your side?" Rukia asked and Toshiro felt himself smile a little.

He lifted his arm and looked down to where he could just see the start of the word 'wholeheartedly' running across his ribs in a strongly slanted script.

"Everything I do, I do wholeheartedly," he answered. "Either my heart is in it or it's not."

As he was with his family, even when it hurt him, and as he was with Rukia right now, even though that was hurting him too; _always wholehearted_.

Cool, thin fingers traced the word on his skin and Toshiro internalised the contented sigh at having her skin touch his. He took another step forward, backing her against the desk and locking her in. He tugged the hem of her jumper, hoping she would let him see her tattoo now. Holding his gaze, Rukia lifted her arms and Toshiro pulled up the jumper, dragging it off her body and throwing it onto the bed. Rukia pulled off her own shirt, tossing that too in the same direction as the rest of their clothes.

Letting his eyes wander over her body again, Toshiro took a moment to truly appreciate her beauty. Pale skin, smooth and untouched, toned muscles underneath putting her in the best possible shape.

Hopping off the desk, Rukia turned around allowing Toshiro to see the line of Japanese characters down her spine, stretching from the nape of her neck and disappearing below the waistline of her leggings.

He traced over the tattoo, his fingers rising and falling with the bumps of her spine. He was almost half way down when his journey was interrupted with the back of her bra and he unhooked with ease, wanting to see the whole tattoo, completely unadulterated. Her body jerked in surprise, arms coming up to hold the bra over her chest.

"That was fast," Rukia commented, seemingly impressed.

"It's not my first time," Toshiro grinned back playfully.

That probably deserved an eye roll, and Toshiro barely contained the chuckle before he turned his attention back to the Japanese characters. They were so neat and eloquently drawn, and he followed their path until they disappeared below her leggings waistband. Kissing the back of her neck, Toshiro slipped his fingers underneath the fabric and began kissing down the tattoo, pouring his affection into each character. He was crouching soon at her bottom as he pulled down the leggings, revealing a date printed in English numbers.

"The date," he murmured, the question needing left unasked.

"My sister," Rukia answered, her voice soft and Toshiro glanced up, unable to see her face from his position. "The date my sister passed away."

Cold, that was the temperature his blood had turned at her words. Rukia had lost a sister. That was undoubtedly the worst possible fear in Toshiro's life, to lose any of his siblings. They, alongside his father, were the most important things in his life, and he would give up anything and everything for them. To lose one to death would be inconceivably painful, and Toshiro prayed he would never know what that felt like. Rukia knew though, as did his father, aunt and uncle who had lost their youngest brother Kaien in a car accident before Toshiro was born. Yet they all still stood, all got on with life and Toshiro couldn't imagine four stronger people than them.

Pressing a chaste kiss to the date, Toshiro stood back up, his arms wrapping around Rukia and hugging her back to his chest. Their warm skin against each other was in stark contrast to the icy room.

"Tell me about her?" Toshiro asked softly, hoping she would share what she loved about the sister who would have been amazing in her eyes.

The pain she was feeling was obvious when she leaned over the desk, like she needed the extra support just to stay standing. Her bra fell away and Toshiro quickly covered her chest up with his arms; no one else was there to see her but he wanted her to know she was safe with him and he would shield her as much as he could from the pain, even if it was slicing her from the inside.

Sadness was obvious in her voice when she began to explain. Her parents had both died when she was young and Toshiro's eyes closed as he felt his heart break all over again. That was a pain he was extremely familiar with, but it seemed to be less of a focus in Rukia's life next to her sister. Hisana was her name apparently, and she had married Byakuya, Rukia's coach, and they had both raised her. Rukia continued, speaking about her sister's work in musical theatre, how she had met her husband. Byakuya had become Rukia's coach then, and Rukia turned the ice to express herself.

"They weren't my brother and my sister anymore," Rukia explained, her voice thick. "They became my parents and they sacrificed so much for me."

Tightening his arms around her, Toshiro kissed her shoulder, feeling her grief bubbling inside of her, begging to be released. He understood what she was saying; he had so many women in his life that had been a major part of his childhood and had acted like second mothers – Kukaku, Yoruichi, Rangiku – he loved them all so dearly, even though none of them could replace the real deal.

"She died five years ago," Rukia explained in a whisper, hurt echoing around the room despite her low volume. "Cancer."

Five years ago wasn't that long either. Hell, Toshiro had been four when he had lost his mother and nineteen years later it was still something he could barely talk about.

Rukia shrugged, "That's why I have such love for musicals."

Nodding, even though he knew she couldn't see him do so, Toshiro remembered back to the karaoke session, when they had sung 'Rewrite the Stars' from The Greatest Showman and she had known the lyrics without looking at the screen.

Feeling the tension in her body, Toshiro took a small step back and loosened his arms.

"Do you want to keep talking about it or…?" he asked, pressing his forehead to the nape of her neck, feeling that perhaps this conversation was getting a little too much for her and that was more than understandable. If he was being honest, it was getting too much for him too, the empath within him raising its' ugly head.

"Please take me mind off it," Rukia answered quickly and Toshiro kissed the top of her spine to say _'done'_.

Slowly, he pulled her around to face him before he picked her up and sat her back down on the short edge of the desk so she could lie across its' length. He knew how she preferred to communicate and that was physically_. 'It's easier,'_ she had told him once before and he had agreed. She didn't lie down though, her arms wrapping around his neck while her ankles crossed behind him, her nose against his neck.

"Do you trust me?" Toshiro asked gently.

"No," was the instant response that had Toshiro jerking back in shock, a knife in his heart.

Why did she have so much distrust for him? It hurt because his intentions were so pure with her; whatever the situation was, he just wanted to make her happy and keep her safe. He just wanted her to let him in and let him do these things for her. It stung that even after opening up to him with her most painful memories, she still couldn't say she trusted him.

"But I want to," Rukia interrupted his spiralling mind and he spotted the tear escape from her eye.

His heart softened at that, understanding. It still hurt, but she was trying her best. Rukia wasn't a trusting person and it was impossible for her to change that in one afternoon but the point was she _wanted_ to trust him, and she would try to, for him. Her hand fell down to his face, cupping the side of his cheek. Toshiro leaned into her touch, turning slight to kiss the palm of her hand softly.

"Lie back," he murmured, "and if at any point you feel even a little uncomfortable you tell me and I'll stop okay?"

Trust was something to be earned and he would earn it without games or lies. This would go his way, just honest feelings.

Seemingly still a little unsure of herself, Rukia swallowed before nodding. Toshiro leaned forward, reaching for the escaped tear and wiping it away before guiding her to lie down. Slowly, and giving her plenty of opportunities to stop him, Toshiro hooked his fingers under her leggings again and pulled them down and off, leaving her completely bear before him. She didn't say anything but he didn't really expect her too; this was more familiar territory for her now. Toshiro smiled softly at her before leaning over her body with his hips between her legs. Both of them were drawn in and their lips met in the middle, Toshiro taking the lead instantly and slowing things right down to match the gentle atmosphere he was trying to create for her. Her lips parted, letting him in and allowing him the control she usually struggled to give up. That was the signal to go for it and he did.

Toshiro continued to kiss her slowly, pouring his passion into her as he adjusted them both on the desk, pulling her so her pelvis was lined with the edge of the table and pressed firmly against his own. His lips moved to her neck and he began to explore her body; he wanted to know every inch of her skin, he wanted to know what felt really good for her and what he should steer away from.

Starting with her neck, Toshiro kiss, sucked and licked slowly. This he did know was an erogenous spot for her from their first night together and it took much of his self-control to not give her a twin hickey to match the slightly fading one he had left her last time. As predicted, she groaned and shifted her hips, brushing against his growing member and sending a hot flush through him. Forcing back a reaction, Toshiro continued moving lower to her collarbones to see if they, like his, were also sensitive. It didn't appear to be the case when he sucked them lightly to very little reaction on her part. That was fine, collarbones weren't sensual areas for everyone, and so Toshiro moved on again.

This time he was banking on getting much more of a reaction from her as he got to explore an age old favourite for men – her breasts. He dragged his lips over her left boob and sucked the nipple lightly. The reaction was well worth skipping the collarbones as she arched into him instantly, forcing his hands to move down to her waist and hold her still.

"Fuck," she groaned as her hand slipped into his hair and tugged, the feeling going straight to his groin.

Arousal aside, Toshiro wasn't going to let his growing erection stop him from his discovery journey and he continued his sensual torture on the woman below him, catching her nipple in his teeth and repeatedly flicked his tongue over it. Rukia moaned loudly and it was the most glorious sound, knowing he was the one who was doing that for her. She was becoming highly aroused but Toshiro didn't speed up the pace of his administrations, simply kissing the left breast before moving over to the right and repeating it all at the same speed.

Eventually he let go of her waist in favour of bringing his hand up to cup and massage her left breast while he tortured the right with his mouth. Both sides going seemed to drive Rukia mad, the Irish beauty seeking friction as she tried to grind against him. Biting back the hiss, Toshiro shifted his groin away from her where she couldn't reach it and continued his path down her body with his tongue, slipping down the underside of her breasts and to her ribcage. Rukia, on the other hand, seemed to grow more frustrated, her head falling back against the desk with an annoyed huff that had Toshiro grinning into her skin.

As with snowboarding, Toshiro always preferred tricks over speed.

Dipping lower, Toshiro reached her tight little abdomen, just the slightest hint of a set of abs beneath her milky skin. He let his tongue, lips and teeth map out an adventure, a sort of treasure map that would eventually lead to the coveted pot of gold between her legs.

A loud gasp tore from her lips when his tongue dipped into her belly button and Toshiro raised a metaphorical eyebrow, sticking his tongue back in and wiggling it until a moan escaped her too. He hadn't expected that to really be a spot for her and, by the sounds of things, neither had she. A mental note was made and Toshiro explored some more, his hands coming to join his adventure only for Rukia to squeak and jerk away.

"Ticklish?" he chuckled, earning a huff in response.

When he glanced up she was looking down at him and he flashed her a mischievous grin before continuing on down, his lips getting dangerous close to prize. He didn't go straight there though, taking the scenic route over her hip joints and onto the top of his favourite thighs. He found the softest skin he could over that particular joint and sucked into his mouth, a little harder than he had when previous sucking her skin today, because this time he was going to leave a mark. This right here was _his_ hip/thigh leg joint, no one else's. Imagine going to have sex with a girl and finding another man's marks all over her hips and thighs… it would put Toshiro off anyway and this was his way of marking his territory. Possessive and stupid, but he did it anyway. It wasn't completely selfish either, for Rukia's sharp inhale and head thudding against the desk again was a positive indication that being marked there felt good for her too.

Feeling his slightly more clouded judgement taking over, Toshiro took a moment for himself, letting his hands slide over her hips and behind, his fingers splaying over both ass cheeks before he squeezed, groaning into her hip as he felt the tight muscles in his hands. Gods, he loved that backside of hers.

Still, he had to concentrate. Today wasn't about him. This was all for her, to make her feel good and to teach her to trust him by relinquishing some of her control. Besides, those thighs he was travelling to were his personal favourites, second to only her ass.

Suddenly, when he knew she hadn't been expecting it, he switched from his awkward crouch position to his knees, grabbing her thighs and lifting and tugging until they were over his shoulders, her beautiful toned calves resting on his bare back. A choking sound was all the indication he had that she was indeed surprised before he turned his attention to her right thigh and began abusing that with his mouth too, biting and leaving more red marks over her soft skin that would soon darken. Littering her thigh in many love bites, Toshiro turned his attention the other leg and repeated the process. By now Rukia would have surely known what he was doing but if she cared he was turning her legs into spotty Dalmatians, she didn't make any attempts to stop him.

Then, finally, Toshiro turned to her wet middle and grinned to himself, unbelievably excited for what he was about to do. He moved in a little closer, inhaling her soft scent and Rukia moved in his peripheral vision, eyes flying open and head shooting up. He let his eyes flicker to her and he waited, gauging her reaction. Shock, horror and then… curiosity. That's all Toshiro needed, closing his eyes and going for it.

Under closed eye lids, Toshiro's eyes rolled back into his head at her taste, his tongue prodding her entrance. Above him, he felt Rukia's body shudder and knew instantly this was going to be a good experience for her. That gave Toshiro hope that he could finish her here and he was determined to make that happen for her.

Sinking in further, Toshiro forced his tongue through her tight walls, twisting inside her.

"Fuck, Toshiro," Rukia groaned, her body arching a little with pleasure as he continued to moving his tongue inside her.

It was with a start that he realised that was the first time she had said called his name while aroused. Granted, this was only the second time she was getting pleasure from him and the first time she hadn't even known his name, but fuck did it feel good to hear his name on her lips.

Encouraged, Toshiro continued, wrapping his arms around her thighs. He heard her whimper and pushed on, sending his tongue deeper and doing his best to find her good spots. His tongue probably wasn't long enough to reach her G-spot but he did his best anyway, curving his tongue up and stroking across that top wall where he could usually find it in a woman.

"Holy fucking shit," Rukia moaned and shuddered, obviously whatever he was doing was working for her.

Toshiro pulled his tongue back to swallow before sending it back inside her. Her taste and scent was heavy with arousal and Toshiro plunged in as deep as he could, trying to lick up every part of her wetness.

Above him, Rukia was panting heavily, her body beginning to sweat and Toshiro decided it was time to bring her to the edge. Removing his tongue from her entrance, the white haired snowboarder set his sights a little higher, his tongue located her clit quickly and taking up residence.

Curses in another language poured out of her and Toshiro worked even harder, determined to be victorious here. Uncurling one arm from her thigh, Toshiro worked off his rings and slipped a finger into her opening, his tongue never leaving the sensitive bundle of nerves above it as he teased and prodded. Rukia jerked and Toshiro quickly added a second finger, stretching her and torturing her clit all at the same time.

"Toshiro," Rukia called breathlessly and he knew she was telling him she was close now.

Time for a big finale, Toshiro found himself grinning between her thighs. Twisting his fingers inside her, he executed his well-practiced 'come hither' motion, stroking along top wall, hoping her G-spot would be there. He opened his eyes as he did so, his tongue flickering mercilessly over her clit, getting ready to watch her come undone above him. She glanced down at him and that seemed to be the final straw for her.

When she came, she came hard. Toshiro watched in delight when she gasped, swearing loudly, her whole body arching while her insides clenched painfully around his fingers. He continued his actions though, prolonging her orgasm and helping her ride through it, her breath coming out in a shuddering struggle.

Eventually she went limp and Toshiro pulled back, sucking her juices off his fingers and then wiping his mouth on the back of that very hand. He stared down at her, sprawled out on the desk and trying to regain her breath; he wasn't going to lie, he was quite proud of himself right now, and especially pleased with the stunning view he got. Gods, she was so beautiful.

One violet eye opened for a moment before it closed again and she groaned.

Slipping out from under her legs, Toshiro crawled back over her, propping himself up on his elbows and staring down into that gorgeous, glowing face. He rubbed circles into her skin with his thumbs, trying to sooth her as she slowly got a hold of her breathing again.

Eventually she came back around, and Toshiro sent her a bit of a guilty smile.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked cheekily and she snorted in response.

"Are you going to fuck me now?" Rukia asked then suddenly.

Choking, Toshiro pulled back a little.

"I – Well, I – that wasn't why I," he stammered, trying to explain himself. "I did that for you."

Intercourse had never been his intention during that process. Of course he wanted to but that wasn't what today was about. He wanted to make her feel good, he wanted her to trust him to make her feel good, and most importantly, he wanted to distract from her pain.

Rukia seemed to know what he meant, though she seemed to be quite shocked and he stared at her, trying to work out why she had never let another man treat her well before. It was like Rangiku all over again. She held his gaze for a moment, seemingly trying to decide something.

"I want you to fuck me," she told him eventually, her words clear and certain and causing Toshiro to splutter, not used to a girl being so sexually direct with him.

Still his eyes swept over her and how could he say no when she was lying there like that, naked, shining with sweat and completely spent from an orgasm he had given her? It would be a crime to say no, surely.

Eyes moving to the bedside table where he was keeping his condoms and lube, Toshiro stood and made his way over there.

"You can't fuck me with your pants on," Rukia called, humour in her voice that had Toshiro grinning.

She had a very valid point, and so Toshiro began unclipping his belt. Once free, Toshiro hooked his fingers under his snow trousers and boxers and pulled them down in one swift go, giving Rukia a good view of his ass. Laughter rang out from behind him and Toshiro turned slightly to flash her a cheeky grin over his shoulder before turning back around and pulling the condoms and lube from the drawer. He ditched his watch there and the remaining ring on his opposite hand, the rest of which had fallen to the floor by the desk.

Turning back to face Rukia, he noticed her eyes fall down to his bulging erection as she spread her legs wide for him. Toshiro's eyes went wide at the display and he stumbled blindly towards her, forgetting about the pants on the ground and almost tripping in them._ Good work, Toshiro, nice job embarrassing yourself_. He blushed furiously but he couldn't stop staring at Rukia, his humiliation taking a step back for a moment as he concentrated on her and the alluring body.

Returning to the desk, Toshiro placed the box of condoms and lube to the side, his eyes travelling from her hot core to her eyes, her violet eyes full of humour, cheekiness and anticipation for what was about to come. Returning to his previous position, his hips between her thighs and pressed against her pelvis, Toshiro leaned over her. Rukia met him in the middle, catching his lips and drawing him in quickly. It seemed her control relinquishing days were behind her as she quickly fought him for dominance and won, her hand in his hair holding him still. He could never refuse those delicate fingers sliding through his hair anyway.

Feeling dazed from her powerful kiss, Toshiro only just remembered why they were there in the first place and pulled back, breaking the spell. The first finger slid in easily after his earlier exploitations and then he was sliding a second finger inside her; she had spread herself out for him, presenting her body as the gift it was, causing Toshiro's mind to short circuit for a moment before he managed to speed things along. Rukia gasped, her body tensing for a moment as pleasure took over her; obviously sensitive from her first orgasm, Toshiro felt his lips twitch as he continued to abuse her entrance, preparing her. Finally, the third finger went in and Toshiro stretched her to the sweet song of her moan; soon she would be ready for him.

Leaning over her once more, Toshiro dipped down to kiss her neck while his fingers worked their magic inside her.

"Yes," Rukia sighed deeply, her fingers pulling at his hair again, "please fuck me."

Moaning into her neck, Toshiro pulled back again, her words were almost begging and that drove him mad. Enough was enough, it was time to take that gorgeous Irish woman again, her body laid out on the desk so teasingly.

Pulling a condom from the box and ripping open the packet quickly, the white haired Australian wasted no time in rolling the latex cover over himself. He poured some lube into his hand and began to stroke it on, the feeling a teaser for what was about to happen. Once ready, he hovered back over Rukia and lined himself up at her entrance.

Her eyes were closed, waiting for the penetration, and that caused Toshiro to frown and pause. He wanted to see those beautiful violet eyes as he sunk into her, he wanted to see the pleasure in her irises and the flutter of her eyelashes with each thrust. Of course, she probably wouldn't orgasm so soon after the last one but he wanted this to feel good for her too.

He also wanted her to see him. He wanted her to see the affection in his eyes and how much he cared about her. He wanted her to see what she did to him, how crazy he was driven by her.

Apparently he was taking too long because Rukia did open her eyes then with a disgruntled huff.

Leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips, Toshiro murmured, "Don't close your eyes."

A faint blush brightened her cheeks but her eyes stayed open and Toshiro pushed in, his cock sliding slowly inside her. She was tight despite the stretching and unbelievably hot, each inch he got deeper sent a hot flush through his body but Toshiro maintained the eye contact, Rukia's lips parting in surprise.

Gods, she was so fucking gorgeous.

Even red faced and sweaty, with hair in a right mess – _especially _red face and sweaty, with hair in a right mess. Toshiro had done that to her, that was a look born entirely from his actions. That afternoon, right there on the desk, she was his and no one else's. Those purple eyes, that petite nose, those plump pink lips – all his. Pearly skin, midnight hair, thick black eyelashes – _his_.

Half way in and tightness of her walls became painfully noticeable, Rukia even biting her lip. Toshiro's eyes were drawn straight to it and he had to wonder if the pleasure he was feeling was as obvious in his eyes as it was in hers. Likely it was more obvious.

Unable to control himself much longer, Toshiro sunk the final distance in a small trust that had them both panting; hot and breathless. Steeling himself for a moment, Toshiro finally began to thrust, starting shallow before lengthening the strokes. Rukia groaned and closed her eyes again and Toshiro stopped instantly.

Nope, they were going to do it his way this time. She would look at him because he needed her to. He needed her to look into the eyes of the man bringing her pleasure, needed her to see his face when she thought about it later. Sex wasn't supposed to just be a feeling in someone's groin, it was supposed to be a whole experience, and as Toshiro preferred, a caring, loving and affectionate experience. He wanted to be familiar to her, not some Olympics stranger she could forget tomorrow.

Again, she groaned and opened her eyes in frustration at the lack of deep penetration and as soon as they locked eyes, Toshiro started thrusting again. He smirked as she learned the lesson he was trying to teach – no eye contact, no thrust. It was as simple as that.

No doubt annoyed, but still wanting his pleasure, Rukia kept her eyes open and locked with his as he thrust into her, picking up speed and pushing himself deeper. He was panting like mad, especially as her hands came over his back, fingernails digging deep into his skin. Fuck, he was not going to last long like this, especially staring into Rukia's stunning face which made every thrust feel much more intense.

Grabbing that tight ass he loved so much, Toshiro lifted her a fraction to get deeper insider her, his cock dragging along her tight walls. Below him Rukia moaned loudly, her walls contracting tight around Toshiro who almost choked. He glanced down to see her jaw dropped as a small, second orgasm seemed to pulse through her.

"F-fuck," Toshiro groaned, shocked at her reaction and struggling to hold in his own climax as her walls tightened around him. "Did you just-?"

The red in her face was the answer he needed and Toshiro felt a surge of pride through him; to bring a woman to orgasm was challenge enough but to bring her twice-

Apparently not wanting to him to get to big an ego, Rukia gripped his hair again and tugged him down into a kiss that was more of a messy exchange of tongues and teeth than anything else causing him to moan into her mouth. After that spectacular revelation, Toshiro didn't hold back on himself, trusting deeper and faster with every stroke. He wasn't kissing her back anymore but Rukia didn't seem to mind.

"Fuck," Toshiro moaned, feeling hotter and hotter as his orgasm drew nearer.

His earlier possessive thoughts managed to trickle back into his thoughts despite all the fog clouding his mind from anything but the pleasure. He wanted to mark her again, sending out one final message that she was his alone for the duration of this Olympics thing. Slipping down to her neck, Toshiro suck and bit, leaving his mark on that satin skin that said _'mine'._

So fucking close, Toshiro thrusted like his life depended on it, Rukia lifting herself up to him even as his thrusts turned more brutal.

"I've never been fucked like this before," Rukia drawled, her voice hoarse from the double orgasm, as she panted right in his ear, "I love the way you fuck me."

_Fuck!_

Toshiro couldn't contain it anymore, her dirty words pushing him right over the edge. Body rigid and tense, Toshiro clenched his eyes shut as a wave of pure ecstasy plunged through his entire body, his soul leaving this Earth for a moment as undoubtly his heart stopped and his brain ceased to function.

Breathless, Toshiro opened his eyes to see her smirking at him, obviously satisfied with her work.

"Fuck," he groaned, chuckling.

Maybe they both had a little something to be proud of today.

"'Did you enjoy that?'" she asked, repeating his earlier tease.

"Shut up," Toshiro laughed, turning the table back on her as he leaned back. "Do I get a prize for a double orgasm?"

"Sure, I'll buy you a fucking cookie," she quipped quickly and Toshiro immediately burst out laughing.

His laughing then set of Rukia too, leaving them a mess of sweaty limbs and vibrating chests as they laughed heartedly into the empty hotel room. It was music to him and even though it was an absurd moment to find so funny, he couldn't help it; Rukia brought out the happy, albeit slightly irrational, side of him and he loved every second of it.

Reaching forward, Toshiro brushed a strand of hair from her face before continued to drag his fingers through the rest of her ebony locks. This woman had no idea how special she was, and not only to him. He was glad to see her smile after the anxiety she had felt leading up to seeing him and then the pure pain of their earlier conversation. She hadn't been comfortable at all sharing that information with him, Toshiro knew, but he was so glad that she had done it anyway, getting some of it off her chest, if only temporarily. He was so proud that she let him in and wanted to trust him, because it meant that he was worth something to her, something more than an Olympic fling.

Rukia's eyes were on his face and Toshiro saw a feeling pass over her but as always with her, he struggled to identify it. Swallowing and trying to sit up, Toshiro straightened to let her bring herself back to a more vertical position.

"I should go," she told him, eyes flickering to the door.

"Oh," Toshiro couldn't stop the disappointment slipping from lips as he took a small step back from her, his softened cock finally slipping out of her.

Turning away quickly, with the show of removing the filled condom but really to hide the emotions he knew were flickering across his face.

Why he had expected her to stick around after the sex, he wasn't quite sure. Maybe it was because of their earlier conversation, or perhaps it was the fact she said she wanted to trust him, neither of which implied she would spend the night with him but still Toshiro had worked it into his brain.

It was still early in the evening; it wasn't like it was late yet. They could have gone for a walk and grabbed a bite to eat since lunch was pretty non-existent, or just lounged around in the hotel room with Netflix and a few diet-questioning snacks. Maybe even have a shower together, just to wash away the sweat from their bodies and the worries from their minds.

Ditching the condom in the bin, Toshiro turned to find Rukia off the desk and searching around for her clothes. Internalising the sigh at her obvious wish to escape, Toshiro too returned to his boxes and snow trousers, stepping into them and pulling the back to his hips. He didn't bother with the belt, pulling it out of the loops and tossing it onto the bed. There was no point even putting his shirt on. He would likely just have a shower once she was gone, anyway, and change into his pyjamas so he could mope around the room in comfort.

Watching as Rukia continued around the room, gathering up the last of her clothes, Toshiro could only stare. For the life of him, he still could not work out what this was, couldn't even work out what Rukia wanted from him. He knew the rumours of her history, a long list of one night stands, but they had been exactly that – _one_ night stands. Toshiro and Rukia were far beyond that now, having hung out in the bar together with their teams, gone on a romantic date and both opened up about personal tragedies. Whatever this was, it wasn't a one night stand, which meant he was different to her previous conquests, right? _Gods, he wanted to be different._

With most of her clothes on and the rest in her arms, Rukia turned to face him. Another unreadable look seemed to pass over her for a moment before she turned back to the desk, looking around for something.

"Come here," she ordered and Toshiro did, blinking himself out of his thoughts for a moment.

Picking up a pen from the desk, Rukia bit the lid off before turning to him. Confused, Toshiro frowned. Thin fingers wound around his wrist and tugged his arm gently, holding it up so she could write on his skin. Even more confused, Toshiro watched her, unable to see the message until she stepped away again, revealing a ridiculously large printed phone number written across his arm. Toshiro grinned, realising this was her phone number. She was giving it to him so he could text her, which further implied they would be spending more time together. Elated, Toshiro couldn't stop smiling down at it, feeling his heart flutter in his chest_. He was different!_

Turning his smile on her, Rukia huffed.

"You marked me enough today," she argued and Toshiro laughed; yes, he most certainly had marked her plenty this evening.

"Speaking of which," Toshiro winced, noticing the large, dark purple bruise forming at her neck which was much more prominent than the last one he had left on her throat, "sorry about that."

He wasn't really all that sorry, to be honest, but he did feel bad if it got her in trouble; she seemed to have her brother, the media and the skating judges all on her back this competition, none of them would probably like the state of her neck right now (except maybe the media). To be fair, at least they weren't likely to see her thighs anytime soon because Toshiro could promise they were far worse.

Rukia didn't seem so concerned though, touching it gingerly before smirking, pride and confidence in her expression.

Taking that as a cue to exit, Rukia tied her jumper around her waist and hung her jacket over her arm before heading to the door**, **double taking for a moment to grab a few condoms from the box and slipping them into her jacket's pocket. Toshiro's jaw dropped; was she taking those for them to use later? Surely it would be rude to take his condoms and use them with someone else, if they even fit someone else. She winked at him as she turned back to the door and Toshiro followed her quickly, reaching past her to open the door and let her out.

"I'll see you soon," Toshiro beamed, her phone number searing into his skin in a fantastic way.

"Yes well, you have my number now," Rukia teased light. "Just don't forget and go for a shower or whatever."

They both chuckled as he held the door open and she passed through into the hallway. She turned back to face him and Toshiro smiled down at her, hoping for one last parting gift. Her smile matched his and she reached up to kiss him, their grins lasting through it.

It was new to her, this goodbye kiss thing, he could tell, especially when she stepped back clearing her throat before turning and hurrying away. Toshiro leaned against the threshold, watching her go.

"Bye Toshiro," she called, pressing the lift button.

His eyes never left her as she waited for the elevator, and she surprised him by turning around. He tilted his head curiously as she proceeded to then drop her jacket on the floor and _skip_ back over to him. He straightened as she reached him, looking at her for an explanation but the only one he got was her hand on the back of his neck pulling him in for a kiss. It was a _good_ explanation.

It was a passionate kiss. Far from sweet and tender but not quite the crazy, lust-filled ones she seemed to be so in favour of. Toshiro groaned into it, feeling her other hand digging into his back again and soon her tongue was in his mouth. They both fought for control and so far no one was winning, it was just a mess of desire and need but it felt so good and Toshiro couldn't help but smile as they kissed, even if it cost him dominance. In the background, Toshiro was aware of footsteps approaching but ignored it, not giving a single fuck if another athlete happened to see them making out in the doorway, many competitors had seen them in the bar on night one anyway.

"I thought you had to go?" Toshiro grinned against her lips even though they had parted slightly for air.

"In a second," she answered, voice mumbled and full of want as they kissed again.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Toshiro pulled her close, loving having her body in his arms. It just felt so natural to him. They kissed, pouring their passion into each other, Rukia even moaned softly and Toshiro knew this was going to go straight back down to his groin in a moment. She was biting his lip softly when suddenly someone cleared their throat loudly.

Jumping apart and turning, Toshiro felt his face immediately flush hot at their visitor.

"Dad!" he yelped, looking up at the man.

Isshin was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed over his chest and expression highly amused. _Oh fuck._

"Sorry to interrupt," Isshin grinned, not seeming sorry at all.

This was not good. A guy certainly didn't need their father and coach to find him making out with a girl outside his room, especially not while only half dressed while his lady friend was sporting not one but two massive neck hickeys, one of which was clearly very fresh.

"You must be Rukia," his father turned to the Irish skater and Toshiro snapped his eyes over to Rukia, her cheeks bright red. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Toshiro wanted to die.

"Th-thank you," Rukia stammered before turning back to Toshiro. "Ah, I'll c-catch you later Toshiro?"

"Yeah," Toshiro murmured. _Damn his father_, Toshiro was sure Rukia was about to change her mind about leaving before they had been interrupted but now she was desperate to escape and honestly, Toshiro couldn't blame her.

Hastily making her exit, Rukia all but ran down the hall to the lift, pressing the button quickly and slipping in as soon as the doors open.

"So," Isshin drawled and Toshiro turned his attention back to his father, a shit-eating grin on his face. "You had a good afternoon, I take it."

Flushing brightly, the snowboarder looked away, back to the elevator. Rukia was just his line of sight and he managed to catch a last second glance of her looking back at him, her eyes still wide with shock and embarrassment, as the elevator doors closed and then she was gone.

"She's pretty," Isshin commented dryly, still finding this hilarious apparently. "You should invite her out to dinner with the family one night."

"I can't do that!" Toshiro exclaimed incredulously; was he mad?

"Why not?" Isshin tilted his head. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she?"

"No, Dad," Toshiro sighed deeply. "She's not."

That caused Isshin to frown and Toshiro found himself looking at his feet quickly. There was concern in those brown eyes and that was just too much for the young snowboarder to handle.

"That's not like you," Isshin stated softly and Toshiro felt his eyes close as he exhaled.

Even Isshin, who was supposed to know very little about Toshiro's love life, apparently knew of his son's easy attachment and how quickly he moved into relationships. That should not have been much of a surprise, if Toshiro thought logically, given his father had left his single son at home last time he went to the Olympics and returned two weeks later to find Momo practically moved in. Still, it did not bode well for Toshiro to have Isshin know how pathetic he was.

"It's been four days, Dad," Toshiro muttered. "Give me time, I'm working on it."

That made Isshin laugh, and thankfully broke the small about of tension growing out in the hallway.

"That's my boy," his father grinned down at him to which Toshiro just rolled his eyes.

"You know, I too like to bite a woman's neck," Isshin continued casually. "I think you get that from me."

Groaning and covering his ears quickly, Toshiro retreated back inside his room; trust Isshin to make this even more mortifying than it needed to be. The white haired athlete sat down on the edge of the bed, his father following him in and shutting the door, grinning madly to himself. Slipping back on his uniform T-shirt, Toshiro blanched as Isshin did a double take at the desk where, much to his horror, Toshiro had forgotten to put away the condoms and lube.

Picking up the Magnum box and staring at it disbelievingly, Isshin's focus then moved to the lube on the desk and then, as if this couldn't get worse, the father of four spotted Toshiro's rings on the floor, just under the desk. He crouched, picking them all up and stood again, eyeing the desk as all the dots connected in his brain.

"Now that _is_ my boy," he chuckled, clearly impressed. "Rukia is a lucky girl now, isn't she?"

"Oh my god," Toshiro groaned, falling back onto the mattress and covering his eyes; why, oh why, was this happening to him?

Isshin laughed, putting everything back down on the desk and soon Toshiro felt his father's weight settle on the mattress beside him as he took a seat.

"I'm glad to know you're using protection," Isshin continued, unfazed by his son's mortification.

"Please don't," Toshiro cut in, desperate to talk about anything else.

"Alright, alright," Isshin chuckled, before turning a little more serious. "I was actually coming up to see you, that's why I had to interrupt things out there."

"What's up?" Toshiro asked, uncovering his eyes and hoping to gloss over any more mentions of his afternoon sexual activities.

"Well, I just came back from having a late lunch with Yuzu and Jinta," Isshin explained and Toshiro lifted his head curiously. "I heard about what happened at the bar the other night, so I wanted to check in with them and make sure they're alright."

Frowning, Toshiro propped himself back onto his elbows, staring up at his father. Assuming the thing he knew about happening at the bar was that dramatic end to the Never Have I Ever game, then that meant Isshin knew his little girl was no longer innocent.

"It seems Jinta is terrified to face you and Ichigo again," Isshin continued, "and I can't blame him. I know how quick Ichigo is to anger."

"So why aren't you talking to Ichigo then?" Toshiro frowned.

"I have just come from there," Isshin grimaced. "He is… going to be harder to convince than you, I think."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "I am never going to like Jinta, Dad."

"I'm not asking you to like him," Isshin murmured. "Just be nicer. Don't glare at him so much, we can all see the dislike on your face."

"He touches my sister," Toshiro gritted his teeth. "I hate his guts."

"We don't say 'hate'," Isshin cut in quickly and firmly.

Toshiro shook his head and looked away. How could Isshin just be okay with it all? Yuzu was his daughter, his _biological_ daughter, and the sweetest girl in the world. How can he be fine with some no good, cheeky fucking prick running his hands all over her?

"Look, I know you love your sister and it's hard to accept she's growing up," Isshin spoke softly, hand running through Toshiro's hair, "but she is an adult, and in an adult relationship. They're the same age, they've know each other since they were little kids. As long as their being safe and consensual, we just have to accept it."

"But she's just a baby," Toshiro uttered, voice feeling lost as he remembered the little blonde baby he once got to hold and cuddle.

Isshin grimaced, "Not any more, she's not."

Toshiro exhaled; he didn't like this at all, didn't like being reminded of how grown up his sisters were becoming. Karin he wasn't so worried about; she only brought home girls and was always clearly the more dominant one, so he never had to worry. Yuzu, however, was far from dominant; she was little, sweet and a bit naïve – she could get hurt much easier.

"Please work on accepting Jinta," Isshin requested calmly. "It's very important to your sister, and she's had a tough time lately so it would mean the world to her if her men could be less hostile towards each other."

"Tough time?" Toshiro sat up quickly; he hadn't noticed anything wrong with her and already the guilt was washing over him.

"She is at the Olympics, in her first senior division, and she's terrified," Isshin explained. "They only just scraped a qualification for the finals, she's still struggling with that triple Lutz, and worst of all, she thinks her brothers don't support her."

"I do support her," Toshiro argued quickly.

"Not with Jinta though," Isshin pointed out and the middle Shiba child felt his heart sink a little.

He wanted to be completely supportive of Yuzu and everything she did but gods, he fucking hated Jinta.

"I didn't chase him out of the bar that night," Toshiro pointed out.

"No, of course not," Isshin nodded slowly, "because you would never leave your sister to cry without comfort. Ichigo, on the other hand, is very much a go-beat-up-the-problem type of guy, while you are the make-sure-everyone-is-okay kind of guy."

Frowning, Toshiro exhaled slowly. He hated seeing Yuzu cry, and he was sure that was a sentence that he could say without being reprimanded for saying 'hate'. He hadn't thought about how she would be coping with all this Olympics stuff but now it was obvious how scary and intimidating it must have been for her. Hell, he was barely coping with the stress and anxiety of it all and he was four years older with plenty of years' experience in the senior division of his sport. For Yuzu, it must have been quite confronting moving up from the juniors where they were at the top to the seniors where they were up against skaters like Rukia who were veterans in the sport. The drama with Jinta was an extra stress she didn't need, especially if it put strain on her relationship with her boyfriend and her brothers.

"I'll try to work on accepting Jinta," Toshiro agreed eventually, clenching his jaw slightly, "but only for Yuzu's sake."

"Good man," Isshin sighed in relief. "I knew you would be the easier son."

That was Toshiro, the easier son.

Isshin stood, ruffling Toshiro's hair before moving towards the door.

"Thank you, Son," Isshin murmured, pausing under the threshold. "It will mean the world to Yuzu."

"She's my sister," Toshiro shrugged. "I do anything for her."

Isshin nodded, a soft smile on his face.

"Good luck with Rukia," the man grinned. "She would be mad not to date you."

Feeling his cheeks heat, Toshiro found himself smiling anyway and chuckling, "Thanks Dad."

The Shiba patriarch threw him a wink before ducking out of the room, closing the door behind him. Sighing deeply, Toshiro stood and located his phone in his team jacket pocket. With a slightly smug grin, he entered Rukia's phone number into his contacts and then located her on WhatsApp. He hesitated on texting her straight away, thinking she might need a bit of a breather first. Instead, Toshiro headed into the bathroom and took a hot shower as he processed the events of the day; the god damn Gin-rose-parkour nonsense (and that was in the early hours of the morning), winning his heat, meeting up with Rukia and hearing her most painful past, the amazing sex and of course that stunning double orgasm. Then there was getting her number, being interrupted by his father and that awful guilt-inducing Yuzu and Jinta discussion.

Thinking it all through had been a good idea as it did give Toshiro an idea about how to help Yuzu _and _spend more time with Rukia.

Stepping out of the shower, Toshiro changed into his old soccer shorts and a loose tee. He had just put his condoms and lube away when Ichigo returned to the room, thankfully alone.

"Renji and I are spending tonight apart," he informed Toshiro who hadn't asked. "We both have our finals tomorrow and can't afford to have a bad sleep."

Bad being that they would become distracted by each other and accidently have sex instead of sleeping.

It was more of message to Toshiro though, to be deathly silent in anything he did for the rest of the evening so his brother could sleep. That was fine; Toshiro could probably go an early night too. He slid into bed and reopened his WhatsApp, his empty conversation with Rukia already opened. He deliberated for a moment before typing out a message.

**Toshiro, 21:04pm: **_So dad found my condoms and thinks you're pretty lucky. What do you think? ;)_

The reply was almost instant, causing Toshiro to grin stupidly down into his phone.

**Rukia, 21:05pm:** _I don't know whether to be concerned that your Dad knows your cock size or to just agree with him ;)_

He had to bite back a laugh as Ichigo rolled over in the next bed with a huff.

**Toshiro, 21:05pm**: _You can do both ;)_  
_My dad is chill though so it's not really a problem, just highly embarrassing xD_

**Rukia, 21:06pm**: _Are you saying your Dad couldn't tell the size of your cock based on how giant you are in person? :O_

Toshiro scoffed and rolled his eyes before typing back.

**Toshiro 21:06pm:**_ Hey now, I'm not sure you're in any position to make fun of someone's height. Besides, I thought my cock size might have been obvious in that Calvin Klein shot you liked…_

**Rukia, 21:07pm:** _Just so we are clear you are a giant to me ;) _  
_I did really love that shot. (drooling face) How come you didn't do more of them?_

Thank the gods the lights were off and his brother was lying with his back to him because Toshiro felt his cheeks heat at her words. If she had said that to him in person he would have no doubt choked. He tried to imagine her drooling over him, just like the emoji suggested, but it was hard to picture it.

**Toshiro, 21:08pm**: _Oh I had no idea you were such a fan, maybe I will have to do more of them ;)_  
_Have you done any shoots like that before? Other than your burlesque ones, of course._

Any excuse to see Rukia in her underwear or less, Toshiro was sure he would be the one drooling if he saw them. He had practically drooled over her burlesque photos on her Instagram.

For Toshiro, he didn't love doing photoshoots like that, it just fell a little too far out of his comfort zone. Showing off his body to a girl he fancied was one thing but to flaunt it around for a national marketing campaign was something entirely different.

**Rukia, 21:10pm:** _Closest thing I have I can send you is this, it was only released for a while on the Ann Summers line until they stopped doing the shirts. (kiss)_

The photo she had attached had Toshiro staring at it, wide eyed, for minutes on end. She was fucking stunning, sitting back on her knees on a bed with a loose night shirt on, the sleeves of which were falling over shoulders, revealing her gorgeous collarbones and giving a teasing view of her cleavage. He was glad WhatsApp automatically saved photos because goodness knows he was going to be looking at it a lot.

**Toshiro, 21:16pm:** _Far out you're gorgeous (heart eyes) (heart eyes) (heart eyes)_  
_You know I think I'd like to see you like this in one of my shirts though (wink)_

**Rukia, 21:17pm:** _And covered in your bites too? (wink) Well Shiba if you give me one of your shirts maybe I will fulfil that request._

Toshiro shifted in bed, feeling his dick twitch with interest. Oh yeah, that would be quite the image.

**Toshiro, 21:18pm:** _Continue putting those images in my head and I'll get turned on again, Kuchiki, just like I was when you ran away and left me with my dad this evening (sad face)_

**Rukia, 21:19pm**: _Maybe that's just how I like you? Turned on ;) _  
_Though I am sorry I fled haha your dad was just watching us kiss! Does he normally do that? Well embarrassing. He obviously knows exactly what we'd been doing._

Toshiro winced; it wasn't the best first impression for either of them to make on each other and left him awkwardly in the middle.

**Toshiro, 21:20pm**: _Yeah hahaha sorry about him! (grimace) He's honestly harmless, just a cheeky bastard who likes to embarrass his kids as much as possible (crying laughter). He's very relaxed about all that stuff thankfully! He just came up to talk to me about Yuzu so that's why he interrupted._

Isshin likely would have just stepped around them with a smirk if he hadn't had an agenda to meet.

**Rukia, 21:24pm:** _That's okay! Maybe I'll meet him under different circumstances next time haha! What did he say about Yuzu?_

**Toshiro, 21:24pm**: _Well he wants Ichigo and I to be nicer to Jinta because apparently it's upsetting her that we hate him (shrug) I promised to work on it. I think she's getting overwhelmed with all this Olympics stuff as well, it's been very intimidating for her._

Steeling himself, Toshiro took a small breath before sending his next message. It was pathetic but he was nervous about asking Rukia this and he wasn't sure why. He would always regret it if he didn't at least try though.

**Toshiro 21:25pm**: _I was wondering if I could ask you a favour, and you can totally say no, but would you be able to give Yuzu some pointers on landing her triple Lutz? She's really been struggling with it and I know it would mean the world to her since she's a massive fan of yours. Even just a few words of advice? It can wait until after finals?_

Rukia's reply was almost instant.

**Rukia, 21:26pm: **_Sure, I'd love to help! I have an hour free practice time at the rink tomorrow you could bring her by for twenty minutes at the end? I'll have her landing her triple Lutz in no time! ;)_

Relief flooded through him and Toshiro found himself grinning stupidly. She was so amazing to help like that, no questions asked or doubts voice, just a straight up 'yes'. He felt his heart swell at her kindness to him and his sister.

**Toshiro, 21:27pm:** _Are you sure? Won't you want to be practicing for your finals?_

**Rukia, 21:28pm:**_ Are you trying to say I need practice or something? Excuse me, but I am a champion. (rolling eyes) (rolling eyes) Haha, honestly it's not a worry, anything to bring two siblings closer together._

Toshiro rolled his eyes as she teased him.

**Toshiro, 21:29pm:** _Well I was going to compliment you but it looks like your head is already big enough (rolling eyes) (shrug)._  
_But seriously, thank you (heart) You're amazing (kiss)_

Flicking out of his conversation with Rukia, Toshiro scrolled down to find his last conversation with Yuzu.

**Toshiro, 21:30pm:** _You free tomorrow? I have a surprise for you (heart)_

…

** DailyRangiku**  
_OMG #GinRan IS A GO! EVERYONE STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WATCH THE VIDEO ON THE __** UnofficialOlympics **__PAGE!_

** Ranbebz**  
_AHH THAT GUY QUOTE SHAKESPEARE, GAVE HER A ROSE ANDDD CLIMBED A HOTEL FOR HER?! Who is he?_

** SwagItMatsumoto**  
_He is Gin Ichimaru, an Irish snowboarder in the snowboard cross! __** Ranbebz**_

** RanRoxyQueen29**  
_Finally our queen is getting the treatment she deserves! He seems really sweet (heart) It's been ages since we've seen her with a boyfriend (heart eyes) #GinRan_

** RukiaFansOfficial**  
_** SwagItMatsumoto Ranbebz**__ Gin is besties with Rukia Kuchiki, who appears to be dating Rangiku's bestie Toshiro Shiba! #IreAussie #RukiShiro #GinRan_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_** Toshiupdates**__ ^^^ amazing that Toshiro and Rangiku are best friends and are dating Rukia and Gin who are best friends (heart eyes) #IreAussie #RukiShiro #GinRan_

** Toshiupdates**  
_** Ausssie_skigirl**__ OMG THIS IS AMAZEBALLS #IreAussie #RukiShiro_

…

**Please review (and we might even get these updates out faster ;D)**

**Make sure you go read LethanWolf's update to get Rukia's take on all this!**


	6. Best Brother

Toshiro woke to the sound of loud continuous banging. This was the second time in as many days that he had been woken up this way but this time it was his other sister on causing the racket.

The white haired snowboarder groaned, rolling over in bed when she suddenly jumped on him, winding him a little.

"Rukia is going to teach me the triple today!" Yuzu squealed loudly in his ear. "I'm so excited!"

Confused and frowning, Toshiro lifted his head and cracked an eye open to see Yuzu sprawled across the top of his bed, lying right across his middle. He stared blearily at her smiling face; how did she even get in?

"That's not until after lunch," he murmured, closing his eyes and sinking back down into the pillows, still to sleepy to face the world yet.

Despite how tired and disoriented he was at being woken up so suddenly, he felt a small smile starting to grace his lips, remembering his afternoon with Rukia yesterday when she had not only given him her phone number but texted him all night after she had gone home. He wasn't even sure where his phone was anymore, but it was probably buried in the sheets of his bed somewhere.

"What's this?" Ichigo's voice asked and Toshiro opened his eyes again to see his older brother standing by his bed, already up and dressed in his event uniform. So that's how Yuzu got in.

"Toshiro asked Rukia to help me with my triple Lutz," Yuzu squealed again, causing Toshiro to wince at the volume so early in the morning, "and she is letting me come to her private practice this afternoon!"

"Yes,_ afternoon_," Toshiro repeated with a grumble in an effort to remind her that perhaps jumping on him early in the morning wasn't necessary. What time was it anyway?

"Sorry," Yuzu sung, rolling her eyes and not sounding the least bit apologetic, "but Karin kicked me out of our room."

That'd be right – Karin getting the shits with Yuzu's ridiculous energy before breakfast, probably dragged the poor girl out of the room by her collar and slammed the door in her face. Karin was ruthless but effective and was undoubtedly settling back into a nice peaceful sleep while Toshiro was being ripped from his. Still, Yuzu was adorable and if she wanted to wake him up in a fit of excited squeals, he really wasn't going to stop her.

"Toshiro organised for you to spend time with Rukia?" Ichigo asked, and Toshiro didn't need to look over at the strawberry haired skier to see the frown – the shift in his voice was obvious.

"Yes!" Yuzu answered brightly, either oblivious to the growing tension or just ignoring it. "But we'll be done way before your finals, don't worry!"

Ichigo had his finals late that afternoon but would be training most of the morning. The whole family was going up to watch since there were no other conflicting events. Toshiro was really looking forward to it, despite Ichigo not giving two fucks if he was there or not (_ah, brotherly love_). The white haired snowboarder was excited to go for a number of reasons, the first being that he would get spend the afternoon with his family. He did also enjoy watching the skiing, not only because it was so similar to the snowboarding Big Air events (Toshiro had seriously considered entering it as a third event but decided it might distract from his halfpipe focus), but because it had been his mother's event. Furthermore, Ichigo was in with a real shot of making the podium; he had been training so hard for the last few months, if not years, and nobody deserved to medal more than him.

"Right," Ichigo grunted and Toshiro could feel the hostile vibes radiating off him from across the room. "Well I'm going down to breakfast now. Do you want to come, Yuzu?"

No invitation for Toshiro, _no worries._

"No thanks Ichigo," Yuzu answered, as she folded her arms and put her head down on Toshiro's abdomen. "I'm going to wait for Tosh to get up, I want to grill him about Rukia."

That right there was the nail in Toshiro's coffin; Ichigo would be furious at him right now, taking his favourite little sister away from him like that. They had unspoken territory over the girls; Yuzu was Ichigo's sister and Karin was Toshiro's, since that was how they usually paired off to spend their time. For Yuzu to want to spend time with her other brother, well that was going to cause quite the stir, especially since Ichigo didn't like his younger brother at the best of times and jealousy was one of Ichigo's primary, and unfortunately less attractive, qualities, just as with Toshiro's neediness.

"Fine," Ichigo stated bluntly. "I guess I'll just see you at my finals then."

"We'll be there!" Yuzu smiled at him, the ominous vibes going right over her head. "I'm so excited Ichi, you're going to medal for sure!"

Opening his eyes just in time to see Ichigo nod without smiling, Toshiro watched his brother pick up his ski bag and march from the room.

"Aw he seems really nervous," Yuzu murmured, and Toshiro nodded absently; it was best she didn't know that her brothers were likely to have a big row over her later. After all, Ichigo wasn't going to be mad at her.

Besides, Ichigo was likely nervous and stressed for his finals today, and that may have been impacting on the way he was feeling towards them right now. Maybe if he won a medal, he might calm down and hopefully be too elated to snap at Toshiro later.

"So," Yuzu sung, turning back to him, her eyes wide with cheeky curiosity, "are you going to tell me about Rukia?"

Chuckling, Toshiro reached for her, tugging her short pigtail and grinned.

"Not before I've had my coffee," he teased, although his cheeks were heating a little at the mention of his recent interactions with the Irish beauty.

Squealing loudly again, Yuzu crawled over him, her knee in his stomach causing him to grunt painfully. She apologised quickly before scurrying off to the hotel room kettle, presumably to make him a gossip-spilling coffee. Toshiro chucked and rolled over, hoping to get a peaceful moment or two before she was returning, squeals and all. He found his phone when it dug painfully into his side and Toshiro scooped it out from under him with a wince. The battery was low but he checked the notifications quickly, smiling profusely when he unlocked the phone and it opened straight up to his conversation with Rukia from last night.

Grinning stupidly, Toshiro clicked out of it and checked his messages from Yukio.

**Yukio, 03:45am:** _Oi m8, you and Ran are over there getting all loved up. The fuck is my love?_

He had attached two screenshots, one being the same that Momo had sent him yesterday and another one by the same online magazine, titled 'Blooming romance for Australia's Golden Girl?' and had a blurry picture of Gin standing over the balcony, handing Rangiku a rose, Toshiro just narrowly cut from the picture (probably for the best since he had been in such a foul mood).

Toshiro grinned and replied.

**Toshiro, 06.46am:** _You can have my love anytime you want bebz xoxo_

The reply was instantaneous.

**Yukio, 06:47am:** _Not you, ya fucking dickhead (crying laughter) I need me a sheila! _

**Toshiro, 06:47am:** _Maybe call them back after you've slept with them?_

Yukio was the fuck and chuck type of guy, pretty much the exact opposite to Toshiro.

**Yukio, 06:48m:** _Yeah nah, fuck off_

Toshiro laughed loudly at that; it was probably the most Australian thing he had ever said and that was truly saying something.

"What's so funny?" Yuzu asked, returning to sit on the edge of his bed and handing him a cup of coffee while she sipped on her tea.

Taking the cup gratefully, Toshiro forced himself to sit up and greedily inhaled that coffee scent. It was glorious, even though it was only instant coffee. Caffeine was caffeine and as long as he got the energy he needed to match Yuzu's, he'd cope with the taste.

"Just Yukio being Yukio," Toshiro chuckled, clicking out of the conversation and moving to the next notification.

He had clicked it without even reading it, only noticing the Instagram symbol a second too late. He was brought into his messages from Momo.

** MomoShiro, 04:37pm:**  
_I cant believe ur sleeping with that whore. I checked her out and shes a slut, she sleeps with everyone, ur probably just another random shell throw away after the games._

Toshiro felt the smile drop off his face as her words cut him deep. She wasn't supposed to affect him like this, he was supposed to be ignoring her but gods she was good, she knew just what to say to derail him.

"What's wrong?" Yuzu asked, concern in her voice and eyes and Toshiro glanced up to see her leaning forward, trying to see his over his screen.

He tilted the phone back towards him, obscuring her view.

"Nothing," he answered quickly before turning the conversation around. "So the triple Lutz, how close are you to landing it?"

It worked; Yuzu was thrown off his path and took the new topic bait easily.

"Not close at all," she groaned. "Kukaku says height is the issue but I just can't seem to jump any higher."

Yuzu continued to talk about her battle against the triple Lutz, filling him in on her long struggle with it and using a bunch of jargon he didn't quite understand. Toshiro found his mind slipping back to Momo's message, dangerous thoughts entering his mind easily and setting up camp in the back with all his other insecurities. He tried to shake them free, reminding himself that he was far beyond Rukia's previous flings and her phone number in his phone was proof of that, but he found his eyes drifting back to Momo's message, reading it over and over. He scrolled up, reading previous messages from her, including the ones from yesterday that he had ignored because he was still on his Rukia high.

** MomoShiro, 13.56pm:**  
_Wat, ur just gonna ignore my messages? Ur such a coward._

** MomoShiro, 20:05pm:**  
_I'm so sorry baby, I just get so upset seeing u with another girl. I kno I was bad 2 u but I want 2 make up 4 it. Pls can we talk when u come home? Im sorry. I miss u and love u, pls reply to this xoxo_

Gods she needed help, Toshiro internally sighed while Yuzu spoke about her skating next to him. He had dated Momo for over three years and he still didn't quite understand her. She was a smart girl, she was a fully qualified nurse and knew medical jargon like the back of her hand, she could even spell all the complicated drug names, but put her behind a phone and her grammar and spelling went to shit. Toshiro also didn't get why she was so back and forth him, abusing him one day to sucking up to him the next. It was starting give him mental whiplash; he just could not keep up. Exhaling, Toshiro blocked the account; no doubt she would be back soon with another one.

"… and that's what I am hoping Rukia will be able to show me," Yuzu was saying when Toshiro tuned back in.

"I'm sure she will do her best," Toshiro offered, reaching over to put his phone on charge.

"She's amazing," the blonde girl breathed out a longing sigh. "I love her so much."

Toshiro smiled softly at his blonde sister as she swooned for her celebrity hero, so sweet and innocent. Now how could a girl like that be interested in a punk like Jinta?

"So are you guys dating now?" Yuzu asked suddenly, her face popping into his personal space as he tried to sip on his hotel-brand coffee. "You won that date right? I saw pictures! You guys even have a ship name now!"

"A what?"

"Yeah, they're calling you two 'RukiShiro'," Yuzu grinned. "Isn't that cute?"

To prove her point, Yuzu held up her phone and showed him the aforementioned pictures – Rukia pressed up against him, his hand holding her leg over his hip and the other wrapped around her waist – posted on a twitter account called ' RukiaFansOfficial' with the hashtag 'RukiShiro'.

"We went on one date," Toshiro chuckled, placing a finger on her forehead and pushing her gently away from him. "It's still all very new though. I'm not sure she's looking for a relationship."

The young skater scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I know Rukia better than I know myself," she told him matter-of-factly. "What she's doing with you isn't like… uh,_ other times_. It's gotta mean she wants something more."

Pursing his lips together, Toshiro glanced down into what was left of his coffee.

"I hope so," he agreed in a whisper, like he was too scared to admit it out loud, which he definitely was.

Yuzu heard him though, and beamed madly at him. Rolling his eyes, Toshiro downed the rest of his coffee and slipped out of bed. He changed into a pair of black jeans and a grey hoodie, throwing on his favourite denim jacket and black Quiksilver beanie. They walked down to breakfast, Yuzu constantly nagging him for details of the dates.

"Did you kiss?"

"Yes."

Squeal. "Did you hold hands?"

"No… But I put my arm around her shoulders."

Louder squeal. "Did you sleep with her afterwards?"

"No," Toshiro answered quickly. "I left her with a good night kiss and went back to my room."

Yuzu faltered mid-step.

"And she wasn't mad?" the young skater asked incredulously.

"Oh, she was definitely mad," Toshiro chuckled, "but I still got her phone number."

"Wow," Yuzu breathed, impressed, "you must be the first man to ever turn her down. I don't think I could even turn her down and I'm straight."

Frowning, Toshiro tried not to let that image filter into his mind as they entered the canteen. Ichigo was long gone and no one else that they knew was there. They collected trays of food and found a table, sitting down to their healthy diet-approved breakfasts, Toshiro downing his second coffee just to keep up with his sister's incredible morning energy. Yuzu was begging him to read the texts he had exchanged with her hero but Toshiro continually denied her, chuckling and moving his phone away while trying to cover the deep blush beginning to settle on his cheeks; his baby sister did not need to know how much he and Rukia had discussed his cock size amongst other things.

Eventually he was saved in the form of their aunt Kukaku coming to join them. She listened to Yuzu gush about Rukia and was impressed that the veteran skater was going to give up her private training time to help Yuzu with her Lutz.

"It will be good for her to look at it with fresh eyes," Kukaku nodded. "I always struggled with the Lutz myself so I'm not as much help as Rukia would be for you."

Jinta eventually joined them too, greeting Yuzu with a very innocent kiss on the forehead that had Toshiro not glaring for once. In fact, Toshiro was quite impressed with his own efforts, even offering to pass the redhead some salt – of course, in his mind he was pegging it at the fucker and hitting him square in the nose, but on the outside he was… well, not quite smiling but projecting a pleasant, non-hostile expression. It was hard, but worth it when Yuzu beamed happily at him.

Karin and Isshin eventually joined the table, the dark haired twin grumpy from a lack of sleep and muttering about being kept up all night.

"I was too excited to sleep," Yuzu admitted sheepishly, causing all but her twin to chuckle.

They still had a few hours before they went off to meet Rukia, so Yuzu disappeared with Jinta to get in a quick nap before meeting Rukia; eventually, despite her excitement, the tiredness did set in and she did not want to be tired for Rukia. Isshin and Kukaku went off to sightsee and Toshiro convinced Karin to go for a run with him around the beautiful town; goodness knows she was still so shitty, she needed those endorphins and pretty views. She agreed, after much convincing and the promise of Swiss chocolate at the end, and they quickly returned to their rooms to change into workout wear.

The run had been a good idea. Toshiro finished outside the village, red faced and sweaty, with hands on his knees as he panted, Karin beside him in a similar state. She was generally the better runner, being that was the primary element of her sport, but Toshiro was much better at breathing at higher altitudes, leaving them evenly matched today. They were a good training team, pushing each other to their limits and beyond, a bit of friendly competition and hilarious trash talk to keep them motivated.

Lunch came and passed, the family reconvening in the canteen for a quick bit to eat, Toshiro showered and redressed to take Yuzu down to the rink, the blonde back and bouncing with thrumming anticipation and excitement.

"Gods Tosh, I am so nervous!" Yuzu exclaimed, her arm looped around his as they walked down the ice rink arena.

Toshiro smiled softly down at her as she squeezed his arm tightly, trying to get closer to him. It reminded him on her first day of primary school when she had tried to hide behind him, too shy to meet the other kindergarteners.

"Why?" he asked. "You're going to learn your Triple Lutz."

"What if I can't be helped?" she countered quickly. "What if Rukia thinks I'm useless?"

"She won't," Toshiro chuckled. "You know her, remember? She's going to think you're amazing."

"But she's so much better than me," Yuzu pouted. "Like a lot better and she competes against the best, I'll be nothing next to what she normally sees."

"Stop that," Toshiro chided, slipping his arm out of her grip and throwing it over her shoulders instead. "Rukia has six years of experience on you, I'm sure she remembers what it was like to be nineteen and still learning everything."

The blonde sighed, seemingly accepting his words. As the rink came into sight, her excitement seemed to outweigh her nervousness for a moment.

"Are you coming on the ice with us?" she asked hopefully.

"I wasn't planning to," Toshiro frowned. "I don't skate."

"Please?" Yuzu asked, big brown puppy eyes working their magic.

If she thought she could just stare at him with those adorable eyes, hopeful smile and cute rosy cheeks and get whatever she wanted then she was absolutely right.

"Fine," Toshiro grumbled his agreeance to what would undoubtedly be a humiliating experience for him, and Yuzu squeaked excitedly and tugged him straight towards the skate rental stall.

They got him some skates, which Toshiro was regretting immensely as he put them on, Yuzu beside him slipping on her own skates and lacing them up. They stood and headed over to the security who led them into the rink. Toshiro smiled softly as Rukia came into view, her skating so beautiful and breathtaking up close, even though she was only training.

The security guard who had accompanied them was calling out to her and Rukia turned to see them, skating over and pulling an earphone out.

"These two said they're allowed here for your practice?" the security guy asked.

Rukia replied with a nod, "Yeah they are."

The security guard left them to it and with a smirk, Rukia opened the barrier to let them in, Yuzu stepping on with practiced easy while Toshiro exhaled, staring at the ice and regretting his lack of interest in it as a child.

"Oh my gosh that was amazing," Yuzu was gushing quickly, words and sentences stringing together as she skated around, her feet light on the ice. "What routine was that though I don't think I've seen that one before is that one you were working on for next season or was that you just free styling something for practice?"

Blushing when she realised what she was doing, Yuzu quickly shut up. Rukia chuckled lightly before she turned her gaze back on Toshiro, waiting expectantly as he continued to eye up the ice, his new enemy.

"It's been a while," he informed as her smirk seemed to only grow.

Toshiro had been maybe six years old the last time he had skated. A few days a week, Kukaku had been delegated to pick him and Ichigo up from school while Isshin finished work and picked up the toddler twins from day care. At the time, she was managing the local ice rink and teaching skating to children, so after school Toshiro and Ichigo would have to hang out there while she taught. Toshiro had participated in her lessons a few times but otherwise found much more interest in his skateboard, rolling circles around the rink.

Stepping cautiously onto the ice, Toshiro tried to relax into it and prayed it would be like riding a bike. _It wasn't._

"I'm fine here," he told the girls, trying to play it cool despite the small amount of panic slipping into his voice. He leaned back casually against the side of the rink for good measure.

At least they thought he was funny, both of them bursting out into loud laughter. He rolled his eyes and grinned at them, elated he could make both his little sister and his romantic interest brighten with humour, even if it was largely at his own expense.

A funny look passed over Rukia's face as she eyed him for a small moment.

"Yuzu," Rukia called the blonde's attention back, her eyes never leaving Toshiro.

"Yeah?" Yuzu replied eagerly.

"Can you turn around for a minute," Rukia requested, glancing back at the younger skater for a second. "I don't think you want to see what I'm about to do to your big brother."

Rukia smirked. Toshiro choked. Yuzu giggled.

Fuck, he was in for a long twenty minutes of teasing, wasn't he?

The girls shared a knowing look and a wink before Yuzu was turning around. Toshiro felt his cheeks heat as he watched them, not sure if he was happy they were bonding so well or fearful of what that could mean for him.

Rukia was suddenly in front him, having skated swiftly to his side. He found his mind refocusing as he glanced down into those big violet eyes.

"Hi," she greeted him almost shyly and Toshiro felt his heart melt and his lips twitch.

"Hello," he mumbled, no time to say much else as she was quickly drawing him in for a kiss.

Like always, her lips wiped the thoughts from his mind, his insecurities vanishing. It started tender before deepening, her movements so familiar to him now that they fell into a sort of comfortable rhythm. He loved that; it wasn't boring or unexciting to kiss someone who was familiar to him, in fact it was even more exciting because he felt so comfortable and warm with her wrapped around him. It was like coming home. It was genuine, and that was so utterly special in Toshiro's mind.

Never had he smiled so much while kissing someone, he just couldn't help it; she made him so light and contented, like she was the part of him that he had been missing. Rukia was smiling too as she pulled back for a moment only to tilt her head the other way and returned to him, her hand on the back of his neck and finger tips sliding into hairline. That was such a turn on, he couldn't even explain it, and then, as she began to deepen the kiss further, drawing him into her, Toshiro felt his body heat up.

He was so lost in her, he didn't even realise just how much of an effect she was having on him until she was pulling away again. Dazed and breathless, Toshiro leaned into her touch as her thumb grazed his lip. Refocusing, he spotted Yuzu standing not so far away, dutifully turned with her back to them, and Toshiro flushed realising that he had gotten half hard from that kiss alone.

"Stay there a moment," Toshiro told Rukia, his voice scratching his dry throat.

Trying to adjust himself in his jeans, Toshiro ignored the very amused smirk forming on Rukia's face. _Think unsexy thoughts_, he told himself, mind coming up blank as it froze on Rukia's image. Well that wasn't helping.

"Think about something else," Rukia whispered unhelpfully.

"I'm trying," Toshiro murmured, looking away from her and clenching his jaw as she giggled at him.

Think ocean garbage, think Ganju picking his nose, think naked Grandma (useless since he had never known his grandparents).

"Are you two not done yet?" Yuzu called back to them, humour in her voice.

Inhaling sharply, Toshiro's voice was annoyingly high pitched when he answered hastily, "No."

Rukia was now leaning against his shoulder and Toshiro could feel her body shake a little from her silent laughter. Her warm body against his was really not helping the situation.

"Think of your dad's toenails," she suggested quietly and the effect was immediate. Toshiro gagged and choked, his arousal dying instantly as he tried to shake the image from his mind.

"Yes you can turn around now, Yuzu," he winced as he called out to his sister, Rukia skating away with a chuckle.

"That was the longest minute ever," Yuzu rolled her eyes but Toshiro could see the excitement and satisfaction in her eyes.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Rukia turned back to Yuzu, skating to her side. "Toshiro said you're having trouble landing your Triple Lutz?"

"Yeah," Yuzu nodded.

"Show me," instructed Rukia and off the girls set, Yuzu setting herself up for the jump and Rukia following closely, eyes focusing in on the younger skaters' movements.

She was in coach mode, and Toshiro found that to be a very sexy side of the Irish beauty.

Happy to watch from a distance, Toshiro hung by the rink wall as he too observed Yuzu's jump. She shot herself up, made three quick rotations but crashed on landing. The older brother's blood went cold and he reached out for her, despite her being on the other side of the rink now.

"Are you okay?" he called, fear and concern spiking in his heart as he tried to pull himself along the side to get to her.

Both girls called back that she was fine, but it wasn't until he saw her get back up, unfazed as she brushed ice from her training tights that he relaxed.

Still, Toshiro continued around the edge of the rink, gripping onto the wall as he pulled himself around. The girls were off again as Rukia coached Yuzu, the blonde girl following orders dutifully and jumping time and time again to get whatever she needed to get right. He had almost reached them when Rukia called for Yuzu to try the triple Lutz again, the resolve in her voice telling Toshiro that this was the one to watch.

Glancing up, Toshiro frowned slightly as they skated away from him again, but his frustration was forgotten when Yuzu launched herself into the air – one, two, three rotations and… landed! Relief flooded him; the landing hadn't been perfect but it was still a solid land, his sister not falling to the ice that time.

Smiling when he heard her squeal excited, Toshiro chuckled as Yuzu skated around Rukia looking euphoric.

"Toshiro," she called, voice flooded with happiness. "Did you see me?!"

"I saw you," Toshiro called, grinning as he punched the air a little, the other hand still locked on to the wall.

Yuzu was still celebrating and no doubt gushing her appreciation to Rukia as Toshiro continued around the edge of the rink, almost doing a whole lap to catch back up to him. Finally he made, and with a satisfied grin, he turned back to the girls.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked, observing Yuzu's bright and adoring eyes staring at her hero, Rukia smiling softly back at her.

"Yuzu wants me to attempt a quad Lutz," Rukia informed him, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"I thought you were working on the triple?" Toshiro frowned, lost.

"You've not told him?" Yuzu asked Rukia, appalled.

"He's your brother!" Rukia tried to counter.

"He's your bo-"

_Oh shit!_

Toshiro shook his head madly as he sensed where Yuzu was going with that argument, the word 'boyfriend' certainly about to fall out of her mouth, and gestured with his hand cutting across his throat madly to say 'Cut! Stop! Nope!'

She did stop herself, but only just and ended up choking mid-sentence. Rukia's eyes turned on him and Toshiro swiftly brought their focus back.

"What is the quad Lutz then?" he asked quickly.

"It's the same jump as Yuzu just did," Rukia explained.

"But with four rotations, yeah I got that part," Toshiro nodded, trying to visualise it. "Is it hard to do? Has it been done before?"

"Never been done by a woman," she answered. "Quad jumps are generally only done by male athletes."

"Except more and more women are doing quads," Yuzu jumped it. "there have been a couple now who have done the quad toe loop and even the Salchow, but no woman has ever landed the quad Lutz before."

But Rukia was going to attempt it.

"You're going to be the first," he breathed, eyeing the raven haired woman.

"Yeah I am," she replied, mouth twitching in satisfaction.

"She's mental," Yuzu said, eyes wide as she stared admiringly at Rukia. "it's the second hardest jump next to the Axel, most of the men can't even do it, it's so difficult because of the entry. Please will you show me it?"

"I-" Rukia hesitated, glancing around. "I can't land it consistently."

Yuzu let out another excited squeal but Toshiro's eyes were locked onto Rukia, watching the apprehension cross her face.

"And I can never land it when I'm this exhausted," Rukia continued hastily as Yuzu beamed at her, "but maybe…"

A short beat passed before Rukia was taking off, skating backwards and picking up way more speed than Yuzu had for her triple, the blonde girl beside him inhaling sharply as they watched her. The Irish World Champion kicked off, launching her body up and into the air, Toshiro only just registering the four quick rotations as she landed almost perfectly on the ice.

Yuzu cried out and clapped with excitement while Toshiro took a second longer to get his hands clapping, his mind replaying that jump in slow motion and trying to work out how the hell she had just done that. It was incredible!

"That was amazing!" Yuzu called out but Rukia was frowning softly, brow furrowed with concentration.

It seemed like she was testing something out, setting herself up to do it again. Midnight hair whipped around her as she jumped up again in Lutz style, executing four tight rotations and landing with what looked like well-practiced ease. Oh yeah, she was going to nail it.

"You're going to land that no problem in competition," he smirked at her. He felt his grin drop as she continued to frown thoughtfully. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," she murmured, seeming a little lost and Toshiro almost reached out for her.

"You skate with your emotions," Yuzu supplied. "just like me, if you're feeling elevated you can land all your jumps but if you're feeling nervous or anxious you fall. But you've not fallen in ages."

Rukia looked even more perplexed at that.

"I have no idea what's causing me to feel elevated today though."

"I bet I know," Yuzu drawled, a cheeky expression that had Toshiro mentally hitting his head against the rink wall. She was referring to him of course, and Rukia looked just about as uncomfortable as he felt.

_Little sisters_; cute but annoying.

"What was the routine you were doing when we came in?" Yuzu asked suddenly and thankfully not dropping anymore obvious hints.

Rukia didn't answer, not for some time anyway. She seemed to contemplate for a while, emotions flashing across her face, and Yuzu threw him worried look, concerned she had asked something she shouldn't have. It was obviously a secret, and Toshiro raised a curious eyebrow at the Irish champion.

"You don't have to answer," Yuzu tried to back pedal quickly and Toshiro felt a surge of protectiveness flow through him; he didn't want her to feel bad for asking an innocent-intended question. "sorry if I asked too much, I just got excited."

Rukia's answered relaxed both of them, however.

"No, it's fine honestly," Rukia replied before trailing off, "it's just…"

"You okay?" Toshiro asked, sensing whatever this was, it was huge to Rukia.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Can you two keep a secret?"

"Yes!" Yuzu exclaimed instantly.

"Of course," Toshiro tilted his head, curious and oddly elated that Rukia was actually going to voluntarily offer up a personal secret of hers.

"Takahashi didn't choreograph my _short _programme," Rukia told them vaguely and Toshiro frowned, obviously she was going to make this a bit of a puzzle for him.

Yuzu understood instantly of course, putting the pressure on Toshiro's brain to piece his puzzle together quickly. Okay, so he already knew that Rukia had choreographed her own short program, but her coach was under the impression that this Takahashi had, she had told him that on the date. He also knew that her Carmen routine was her free skate, which she had complained about being boring because her brother had choreographed it. The way she had emphasised the word 'short' implied that Takahashi had indeed choreographed some sort of programme for her, but if it wasn't her short programme or the Carmen routine, that meant there had to be a third routine she had in her arsenal. Toshiro knew there was a gala after the main competition which could be the third routine but why would she worry about practicing a gala performance right before finals-

"Oh my gosh," Yuzu gasped, her hand clamping over her mouth. "He choreographed your _free? _And you're going to be skating that routine in the final?"

Yuzu connect the last dot as Toshiro did too internally; the third routine was another free skate, one she was going to do instead of the Carmen piece.

"Isn't that risky?" Toshiro frowned; for a snowboarding analogy, if he changed his whole halfpipe or slopestyle run now, he would be so under prepared and that would certainly show in his delivery. He would be scored down for sure.

"It's completely insane," Yuzu agreed, her eyes lighting up in awe as she turned back to her hero. "A whole new routine, only you and your coach know?"

"Ah well," Rukia winced, looking a little guilty. "Byakuya doesn't actually know yet… I have to practice in private."

She gestured vaguely around the empty rink and Toshiro cringed, guilt washing over him.

"And we've taken up your practice time," he deflated. "Sorry about that!"

Beside him, Yuzu appeared to feel just as bad.

"No don't be," Rukia smiled at them, sounding genuine. "I'd have said no if it was a concern, but without you two here I wouldn't have learned something new about my quad today."

At the moment, a couple of Japanese women walked into the rink, including that tall girl Rukia appeared to be friends with, and called out to the Irish skater.

"We need to clear off the ice," Rukia informed them quickly.

Yuzu skated off immediately but Toshiro pouted, looking at how far he needed to get back to the barrier, especially since he had zero intention of letting go of that wall. Apparently delighted by his lack of skating experience, Rukia stopped in front of him, grinning madly as she held out her arms for him. Toshiro eyed them, torn between the comfort of her touch and the undeniable security of the sturdy wall beside him.

"'Do you trust me?'" she threw his own quote back at him.

Not with that mischievous smile on her face, he didn't.

Still, the seriousness with which he had asked that question yesterday afternoon, he had to believe she was being somewhat serious with him now. Getting the feeling he was going to regret this decision, Toshiro pushed himself off the wall and into her arms, the instability making him nervous and Rukia's giggles in his ear only heightening that sense of dread looming in his stomach.

"I dunno how you guys do this," he hissed as she tugged him along. She only laughed as he gripped her tighter.

As they got closer to the barrier, Rukia pulling him slowly and safely, Toshiro was just beginning to feel at ease, ignoring the looks they were getting from Yuzu and the Japanese women, when suddenly the raven haired skater betrayed him.

"Jeez Toshiro," she complained, the grin evident in her voice. "You didn't cling onto me this much during sex."

Stumbling over the barrier, Toshiro flushed tomato red. There were giggles behind him in and he looked up to see Yuzu looking delighted, although an embarrassed blush lightly dusted her cheeks too.

"Rukia," Toshiro groaned, hauling himself into a seat and immediately removing the bastard skates.

"What?" she asked in mock innocence.

Even though he was glaring daggers at her, Rukia was unfazed and in fact smirking in evil satisfaction. Beside them, Yuzu rolled her eyes.

"It's not like I didn't know you'd slept together," she commented dryly, making Toshiro grimace.

"Did you know we've slept together twice?" Rukia asked quickly before he could stop her.

"RUKIA!" Toshiro choked.

"WHAT?!" Yuzu exclaimed, the smug look slipping off her face to be replaced by utter shock and bewilderment.

"What?" Rukia tilted her head, still playing dumb.

"Would you please stop telling my baby sister about our sex life," he hissed as Rukia leaned back against the rink wall, unconcerned.

Something in his words sent a strange expression through her, one which was definitely not guilt. It was almost possessive, hungry even, but it vanished quickly.

"It's not like I gave her any details," she smiled at him, big violet eyes blinking innocuously and ignoring as Yuzu and one of the Japanese girls leaned in eagerly.

"I can't believe this," Yuzu breathed, the delight in her voice present. "When were you planning on telling me?"

It was curious and excited, but her tone held an edge of accusation, like she should have been the first to know.

'_Don't you dare say anything more,'_ Toshiro's face was screaming warningly at the Irish menace. Now he was going to have to walk back up to the village, Yuzu stepping on his ankles as she hounded him for those details. Fortunately Rukia seemed satisfied enough with the damage she had already inflicted.

"Your triple Lutz looks good Yuzu," Rukia complimented the younger skater, turning back to face her, "make sure you practice it more though before putting it in a competition."

"Thank you Rukia," the blonde girl beamed. "Thank you so much and thank you for letting us come to your private practice."

Despite his embarrassment, Toshiro found himself smiling softly down at his feet as he laced up his shoes; Yuzu sounded so happy and for once, he was the brother to do that to her. Okay well, Rukia was actually to one to make her smile like that but technically, Toshiro had been the one to arrange it. Probably a bit of a stretch to claim credit for Yuzu's delight but it still felt good to have contributed towards it.

"You're welcome" Rukia murmured and when Toshiro glanced back up she was smiling softly too, the gentle expression so beautiful on her face. "I won't be walking back with you two though because I want to stay and watch Isane's practice."

"That's okay," Toshiro jumped in quickly. "We have to go anyway."

Just because Rukia had a gorgeous smile on her face right now didn't mean it wasn't going to turn wicked in a flash. He had spoken too soon though, for as he had just picked up his stuff and managed to get a hold of Yuzu to drag her from the rink, Rukia's expression changed to devilish, sending a cold chill down his spine.

_Please don't,_ Toshiro prayed; he was so close to getting Yuzu out of there.

"Have a good day," she farewelled them, grinning all too menacingly. "You've got a very _talented _brother there Yuzu."

_Oh, for fuck's sake_. Beside him, Yuzu gasped and gaped at him while Toshiro faltered in his steps and almost tripped over. He didn't look back though, pulling Yuzu quickly out of Rukia's sight and hopefully voice range.

Once they were out of view, Yuzu turned and jumped straight into his arms.

"I landed a triple Lutz! I got to spend time with Rukia Kuchiki!" she sung, shaking his shoulders disbelievingly, pure happiness etched on her face in the way that was usually reserved for their older brother. "Thank you so much, Tosh! This was the best day of my life!"

Toshiro hugged her close, grinning stupidly into her shoulder and closing his eyes, trying to remember that smile of hers forever.

"I'm glad you had a good time," he told her softly as she tightened her arms around him.

It was petty as fuck but he couldn't help the _'beat that, Ichigo'_ thought that flashed through his mind.

After moment longer than necessary, Toshiro put down the blonde girl, smiling gently at her as his ruffled her hair. She shook herself away from him with a laugh, fixing her pigtails as they headed back to the skate rental stall.

"Now you have to tell me about the second time," Yuzu demanded, jumping up and down beside him as he handed over his skates to the attendant.

"No," Toshiro answered simply, cheeks hot and feeling very uncomfortable as he turned sharply and stalked out of the arena.

"She said you were _talented_," Yuzu exclaimed with a cheeky grin, emphasising the same word Rukia had. "You must be really great in bed if she's sticking around for more."

"This is getting weird, Yuzu," Toshiro warned, cheeks going brighter at the thought of his baby sister finding out that he wasn't so much 'great in bed' but 'great on desk'.

"Please tell me!"

"No."

"Come on."

"No way, Yuzu."

"Okay how about this," Yuzu literally jumped in front of him halfway up the hill to the village causing him to stumble abruptly. "You tell me one little fact from the second time, and I promise I won't ask again."

Toshiro huffed, disgruntled at the sudden stopping. He stepped to the side to move around her but she stepped with him, keeping his path blocked. He stared pointedly at her, were they really going to play this game? Of course he could move around her if he really wanted to but she would still be on his tail, poking and prodding him until he exploded.

He sighed, defeated, "One fact and you'll leave me alone?"

"I promise," she batted her eyelids at him sweetly.

How could she act so sweet and still be asking him about his sex life?

Swallowing and looking down as he considered the options, he supposed one fact couldn't really hurt… But he would have to be careful on what fact he gave up. The last thing he needed was to give her any ideas now that she apparently had a sex life of her own.

It was also Rukia she was interested in, not him.

Glancing back at her, Toshiro felt a smug smile take over his face and Yuzu leaned in expectantly.

"Yesterday," Toshiro spoke quietly, smirking, "I made her come _twice."_

It was delivered with a casual shrug, like it was a regular everyday occurrence for him, but the smugness did not leave his face. Yuzu blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment until it finally registered with her and she suddenly looked like she was about to faint. Toshiro stepped around her chuckling and continued on his path up to the village.

_Take that, Jinta._

Catching up to him just as Toshiro reached the village gates, Yuzu's eyes seemed to burn into him, a million questions on her tongue but, thankfully, keeping to her promise, however restlessly.

"What are you doing for the rest of the afternoon?" Toshiro asked, swinging the topic back to a safe zone.

They still had about three hours before they needed to be heading up the mountain to watch Ichigo's skiing finals. If Yuzu was free, maybe they could hang out a little longer? Just some private brother-sister time since they never really spent that much time together as just the two of them-

"I'm going to binge watch Stranger Things with Jinta and his roommate," Yuzu informed him straight off the bat, no hesitation at all. "Have you seen that show?"

"Oh," Toshiro felt himself deflate a little. "Uh, no I haven't yet. I've been meaning to."

"Well definitely watch it if you have time," Yuzu smiled brightly at him. "It's so good, you'll love it."

Heart sinking, Toshiro tried not to let the disappointment show on his face as he hummed in agreement.

"What will you do this afternoon?" she asked him as they entered the hotel.

"I'm not sure yet," Toshiro answered, still hoping there might be an invitation to go watch whatever Netflix show with her, even if he had to put up with Jinta and his speed skating mate, Steve.

"Maybe you can start Stranger Things!" Yuzu suggested with a grin. "You brought your laptop, right?"

Nodding, Toshiro pushed the button on the elevator, three times more than necessary to see if it would hurry the thing up. The doors opened and they stepped inside, Toshiro standing as far away from Yuzu as possible in the confined area, his thoughts doing what they always do – overthink and spiral.

He had no reason to hold Yuzu to spend a whole afternoon with him. She wasn't there to spend her time with him anyway; she had been going to see Rukia. Toshiro had just been the chauffeur. Still, his mind slipped onto a downward slope of negative, insecure thoughts, trying to work out why Yuzu didn't want to hang out with him. That was what she was like though, wasn't it? Ichigo was the brother she adored and admired, the one that interested her and the one she wanted to hang out with all the time, even to the point of driving him mad. Toshiro she didn't quite care for; sure he was still her brother and they got along fine, but he was not the one she wanted to spend her time with, especially if he was to compete with Ichigo as well as Jinta now. The only interest she had in him at the moment was his connection to her long time hero, Rukia.

The elevator dinged and opened the doors onto their level.

"Thank you again for organising today for me," Yuzu was still smiling at him, oblivious to the thoughts going around his head as they walked towards their rooms. "I still can't quite believe I got to spend one on one time with Rukia."

Well, one on one plus Toshiro.

"She adores you," Toshiro murmured, grimacing only internally, once again pushing down his emotions to keep his family members in the dark.

"She adores_ you_," Yuzu threw back at him with a wink before she turned, swiped her room key and disappeared into her hotel room.

Toshiro sighed and entered his own neighbouring room. He didn't want to think about it anymore, and changed into a fresh workout wear, his running clothes from that morning being thrown into his growing laundry pile. He'd get to it this afternoon but first he needed to physically get out these annoying and destructive thoughts.

He was in the gym in record time and already pumping music louder than comfortable through his headphones. Running with Karin that morning had been enough cardio so it was time to hit the weights and resistance machines, probably some other exercises too.

Toshiro moved from station to station. Snowboarders didn't really need strong arms but that didn't stop him spending a solid twenty minutes on just his biceps. When Rangiku found him, he was in the middle of a boxing and abs exercise – fifteen punches into the boxing bag for each arm, before dropping onto his mat and completing fifteen crunches, the cycle on repeat with no intention of stopping until Rangiku was standing over him, looking mildly concerned.

"You're going to hurt yourself," she commented, nodding to his body which was dripping with sweat and heaving with every pant. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Rangiku hadn't even broken a sweat, but that was likely because Toshiro had only seen her enter the gym fifteen minutes ago and she had spent eight of those minutes taking selfies in the wide floor to ceiling mirrors. His body was wrecked so he followed her pretty easily, fairly pliant in his exhausted state.

"How did Yuzu get on with her Lutz?" Rangiku asked as they left the gym and returned to the hotel, Rangiku following him into his room.

"Big success," Toshiro reported before launching into a full recount of the afternoon, minus the constant teasing and later spiralling thoughts.

Rangiku stayed while he showered again, washing the gym sweat away. Afterwards he changed back into his jeans, dumping his gym clothes in his growing laundry pile. Toshiro then scooped up the dirty clothes and held them out for her.

"Please?" he asked, eyes going wide and hopeful.

"No," she scoffed. "You know the deal."

"But the deal doesn't apply here," Toshiro frowned; his side of their agreement was already fulfilled by the athlete's canteen.

"Exactly," Rangiku smirked at him. Toshiro just stared helplessly at her, holding his clothes out further. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you're coming with me; it's time to learn, Bub."

Relieved and happy with that compromise Toshiro followed Rangiku down to the laundry in the hotel basement. They detoured only briefly to pick up her washing on the way. Once there they found themselves a quiet corner and Rangiku threw their washing bags onto the table.

"So we're going to wash everything in these," Rangiku told him, gesturing to two machines, before pointing to the neighbouring machines which were different in appearance, "and dry everything in these."

Toshiro nodded, collecting his bag and preparing to tip the contents in the first machine she had mentioned.

"What are you doing?" Rangiku shrieked suddenly, pulling him back by his forearm.

"Um, washing my clothes?" Toshiro frowned, unsure of how he had already gone wrong.

"You have to sort them first, Bub," she sighed in exasperation as though that was something he really should have known.

"Like into shirts and pants?" Toshiro stared down into his bag in confusion.

"No!" Rangiku laughed. "Into colours. Jeez, who raised you?"

Pouting, Toshiro argued lamely that he knew how to do everything else around the house. Toshiro had never learned to clean his own clothes because it had never been his assigned chore while growing up. He had learned to cook and vacuum, to scrub a toilet and clean out an oven. He had done dishes and set dining tables, mowed lawns, changed lightbulbs and cleaned out gutters, but not once had he ever been tasked with washing anyone's clothes.

Pulling out his yellow competition shirt and his blue gym shirt, he held them up to Rangiku.

"So these have to go in different loads?" he asked with a frown. "Do I have to do a new load for each colour?"

That was going to take a long time.

"No, just-" Rangiku had begun to answer but the arrival of two new guests had her attention shifting.

"Well, ah didnae know this was where all the cool people came tae hing oot," Gin's voice caught Rangiku attention instantly, the strawberry blonde forgetting the lesson she was giving.

They both had lovesick grins on their faces as they gravitated towards each other, and Toshiro felt his cheeks heat as he realised he was being left to fend for himself, meanwhile Rukia was moving towards him and dumping her washing bag down on the table across from him.

"What's up Shiba?" Rukia grinned at him and Toshiro flushed, dropping his gym shirt back into his bag and hoping she hadn't seen the sweat marks all over it. "Don't know how to do laundry?"

_Fuck._

This was the second time he had been out of his depth and humiliated in front of her today.

"Ah, no," he answered honestly, running an embarrassed hand through his hair; it wasn't like he could get away with lying, especially since the colours issue hadn't been resolved yet.

Rukia laughed heartily at him for a moment and when he didn't laugh with her it must have registered that he wasn't kidding. Even she thought it was pathetic that he didn't know this fundamental life skill. _Oh gods_, she was never going to sleep with him again.

She stopped laughing, the smile slipping from her face as she choked on the realisation.

"What?" she asked disbelievingly. "Really?"

Toshiro turned away with a shrug, trying to play it somewhat cool.

"No, I live with Rangiku," he answered. "She does the laundry, I do the cooking."

That was the deal they had made – they had lived together quite pleasantly for the last five years because they had established routines, rules and agreements when it came to household chores. Toshiro cooked, mowed lawns, took the bins out and did any jobs Rangiku decided were 'too much' for her, and in exchange Rangiku took on most of the cleaning and laundry.

"Oh," Rukia responded, eyes moving to Gin and Rangiku across the table. "I didn't realise things between you were that serious."

Of course she was smirking at him and Toshiro rolled his eyes on instinct.

"Very funny," he replied dryly.

"Can we expect wedding invitations?" she continued to prod him sarcastically and Toshiro felt his lips twitching; even if she was laughing at his expense, at least she wasn't genuinely thinking he was a loser. "Will you be getting the date tattooed on your ass too?"

"No actually," Toshiro jumped on board the banter train. "We were going to wait to propose to each other in front of world after we both win gold medals."

Her laugh was instant and infections and Toshiro found himself grinning, again thrilled to have her laugh at his jokes.

It was enough for her to take pity on him as he gestured for him to pass her his laundry bag. Toshiro slid it towards her and moved around to stand next to her, observing as she immediately began pulling clothes out and placed them into different piles.

Patiently explaining things, Rukia appeared to make three piles for his clothes; one for darks, one whites and one for every other colour. Toshiro started to help but frowned down at the colours pile; wouldn't those colours all run together too? Would his red soccer shorts turn his competition shirt orange? None of this made sense. He was about to clarify with Rukia but something caught her eye in his bag, her giggle light and cheeky.

"Not sure which pile these would fall under," she drawled, pulling out the Christmas boxes Karin had sent him as a joke.

They were little elf boxers with green and red stripes, a fake belt, a horrifically cheesy statement across the bum that read 'what the elf' in gold writing. Karin had sent it to him for a laugh and he been determined to never wear them. However, one time when Rangiku had been too hungover to do laundry, the Christmas boxers ended up being his only clean pair. It was embarrassing to admit but they were the most comfortable underwear he had ever worn.

Flushing and snatching them out of her hands, Toshiro quickly dropped them in the colours pile.

"Probably the same pile as those," Toshiro muttered, nodding to her laundry bag where he could see a pair of very lacy black and red panties.

Spotting them too, Rukia pulled them out, smirking as she dangled them in front of his face.

"Well what pile would you put them in?" she asked teasingly.

His cheeks were on fire and he looked away, concentrating on the three piles in front of him. He could see her in those things, and he could smell her, taste her even, the memories from last night resurfacing.

"I don't know," he answered thickly. "With the darks?"

It must have been the right answer because Rukia did drop the lacy panties into the darks pile, but in his darks pile instead of her own. Dropping his head into his hands, Toshiro groaned a little; Rukia just loved to toy with him, teasing him with her underwear and then putting them in his pile. To her it was probably for a laugh but for him, it was her saying that these were his panties now because she was his and that was just too much of an attached and possessive thought for him to have in the laundry room. She laughed of course, oblivious to the fact he was now imagining fucking her on top of one of these machines, the washer shaking and vibrating below them as it washed those bloody panties.

Thankfully, as Toshiro felt his pants becoming uncomfortably tight, Rukia's attention shifted to their friends and the white haired Australian stared down into his washing, hoping the thought of his own dirty, smelly clothes would be enough to kill his growing boner before anyone noticed.

"Rangiku," he heard her call out to the snowboarding champion. "If you lean any further over you're going to be motor-boating him."

Rangiku only giggled in response and Toshiro didn't need to look up to know exactly what she was doing, leaning over and not-so-subtly presenting her huge breasts to what was likely a floundering Gin, testing him to see how he would react. Thankfully, Toshiro knew enough about those breasts to know they were far from sexy; they were a death trap and memories of him literally almost suffocating as she smothered him was enough to kill that boner.

"Is she flirting?" Rukia asked him quietly as he pulled together his whites pile to finally go in the machine.

Toshiro glanced up, watching as, like Rukia had, Rangiku also dangled her lacy pink panties in front of her crush, but she was being far more subtle than the Irish skater had, Rangiku pretending she hadn't even realised what she was doing. Still, that didn't stop Gin's eyes from slipping every now and again, widening slightly when Rangiku then pulled out one of her massive bras and a matching G-string.

"Yeah I think she is," Toshiro murmured, pursing his lips together as he observed.

He knew Rangiku was testing Gin, flaunting her sexuality around to see how quickly he unravelled and granted, the silver haired man was holding it together well, whereas many other men would be all over her by now, but it was a dangerous game. There was obvious want and desire in the Irish man's eyes and that was always put Toshiro on edge, having seen too many men use and abuse his best friend. He didn't want her to get hurt again.

Exhaling, Toshiro picked up his whites pile, turning his focus back to his laundry although he would be monitoring the apparent 'GinRan' (as the gossip sites were calling them) situation closely, ready to step in if Gin did happen to crack.

Beside him, Rukia picked up one of her own piles and followed him to the machine. She explained the buttons and dials, showing him the tablet they would be using for detergent and tossing it into his machine before closing the lid and pressing the start button. Both of them kept glancing over to their friends with interest; Rangiku had finally reigned in her flirting and Gin seemed to just be making a tongue-tied mess of himself.

Appreciation washed over Toshiro has heard the washer erupting noisily to life behind him. That was the second time Rukia had helped him out today, even if there was plenty of intermittent teasing.

"Thank you," Toshiro murmured, finding it easier to look at Rangiku while he spoke to Rukia. "Thank you for today, Yuzu was over the moon and I just wanted to say it meant a lot to me for you to do it."

Her eyes landed on him and he spotted her smiling out of the corner of his eye.

"You're welcome."

Her voice was genuine and Toshiro felt his heart flutter a little.

In front of them, Rangiku was taking to new tactics to test Gin, dropping her underwear and asking him to pick them up for her, eyelashes batting furiously. The Irish man did, as respectfully as possible, and together they threw on their washing too before returning to Toshiro and Rukia.

"What do you do for fun?" Rangiku asked the Irish two since now they could only wait for their machines to be finished to start the next load.

"Ah brought cards," Gin answered with a grin, "but mostly we just sit oan the machines."

"What?" Toshiro asked, almost chuckling as he turned to Rukia for an explanation.

Rolling her eyes, Rukia walked past him to the washing machine and hoisted herself on top, her arm muscles tensing for a moment as she lifted herself onto the lid. Gin joined her quickly, not needing nearly as much as a jump to get himself up, but he didn't have to hunch his shoulders so he head didn't hit the low ceiling.

Chuckling, Toshiro pulled out his phone to snap a picture, Rangiku beside him doing the same thing, but he quickly switched to video as the two Irish athletes began to sing.

Missing half of the lyrics between the loud hum of the washer, their strong accents and the vibrations in their voices from sitting on top of the machines, Toshiro was almost in tears laughing as he filmed them. Others doing their laundry stopped to watch in interest.

Eventually it became too much and Rukia slide off the machine, rubbing her butt. It was innocent enough but Toshiro couldn't help as his eyes wandered down and he imagined himself squeezing the tight muscles there again.

Still chuckling, Toshiro watched the video back on his phone, laughing all over again. It was hilarious.

Opening his WhatsApp, he quickly posted it in the 'Three Amigos' group chat with Yukio and Rangiku as Gin slid of the machine next.

"That's amazing," Rangiku was giggling.

"Feels like my teeth were about to chatter out of my head," Rukia mumbled, causing Toshiro to smirk down at his phone.

"Can I post this to my Instagram stories?" he asked, glancing up at Rukia.

"Sure go ahead," Rukia answered with a shrug, apparently not concerned with appearing on his Instagram despite the swirling rumours about them and the alleged 'RukiShiro' ship name.

Beside them, Gin was trying to flirt with Rangiku but backed off into a shy mess the moment she even glanced at him. Toshiro rolled his eyes and moved over to the washing machine as heard it finally finish the cycle. Opening the lid, Toshiro scooped out his loads of whites and carried them over to the dryer.

Rukia caught him quickly.

"Hold on a moment, Snowflake," she smirked at him and he frowned at the new nickname, "you need to pull your cottons out, they can't go in or they'll shrink."

"Oh," Toshiro stopped suddenly, distracted by revelation as he remembered the one time he had tried to dry something. "That explains what happened to my cotton bedsheets."

Grinning, Toshiro ran his hand through his hair remembering the moment he had pulled out shrunken and misshaped linen, finding it quite funny now. His eyes met Rukia who was still very smug at his lack of laundry knowledge.

Any retorts were lost, however, as Rangiku suddenly burst out laughing, holding up Rukia's lacy underwear that had been in his darks pile.

"Toshiro," she giggled. "When did you acquire these?"

"These are for good luck," Toshiro joked quickly. "I plan on wearing them in the final."

Rukia and Gin laughed at his answer and Toshiro through the skater a quick wink before turning back to the dirty piles and scooping up the dark clothes, Rukia's lacy panties sitting proudly on top. He felt Rukia's satisfied eyes follow him as he put the darks in the machine and set it to the same wash she had showed him earlier.

"Congratulations, Shiba," Rukia teased. "You can now do your own laundry."

"And apparently other people's," Toshiro replied quickly causing her to chuckle.

The rest of the process went quickly now that he knew what he was doing and soon enough they had all their laundry cleaned and sorted into bags of dried and wet cottons, the latter to be hung up in their rooms.

"We better get ah move oan," Gin announced as they finished up, looking at his watch nervously. "Ah have mah heat soon."

Toshiro blinked; he hadn't even realised the snowboard cross riders hadn't even done their heats yet, while Ichigo was about to compete in his finals.

"Yeah I need to get a good spot in the audience," Rukia added as they headed towards the stairs, washing in tow.

"Can I come too?" Rangiku asked hopefully, Gin immediately stumbling up the stairs.

Sighing internally, Toshiro grimaced, and not because Rukia's hands were on his best friend's ass trying to stabilise him, but because this clearly meant Rangiku wasn't accompanying him to Ichigo's event and now he was going to have to face his brother alone. To be fair, he hadn't mentioned Ichigo being mad at him to her so she had no reason to think Toshiro cared either way if she came or not.

Above him, Gin and the girls talked but he zoned them out, his feet following them as they continued up the stairs and remerged in the hotel lobby. His earlier excitement to go to Ichigo's finals was fading fast now that he knew his brother was mad at him and that Rangiku wouldn't be there to step in if Ichigo did decided to snap at him about it. She was his safety net.

"What about you, Bub, you going?" Rangiku asked, turning back to Toshiro and startling him out of his thoughts.

Shaking his head, Toshiro answered slowly. "Ichigo has his final."

Despite the anxiety slipping into his thoughts, he knew he _couldn't not go_.

"But he never goes to any of your events?" Rangiku cocked a challenging eyebrow, daring him to argue that or justify Ichigo's choices.

Toshiro held her gaze, ignoring the glances being exchanged by their Irish friends. He wasn't going to pretend that Ichigo never came to watch him compete unless Isshin had forced him and he wasn't going to deny that it hurt, but this wasn't about matching Ichigo's actions. Toshiro had hope that one day his brother would want to get close to him again and when that day came, he wanted Ichigo to know that he was a million percent there for that. If Toshiro stopped going to his events just to be petty, if he stopped trying to make amends, they might never recover.

"But he's still my brother," he told Rangiku resolutely; he would not be swayed on this – his family was too important.

She seemed to deflate a little as she accepted his answer. It wouldn't have been a surprise since he chose his family over everything; '_Wholeheartedly'_, remember? There was a reason why it was an adverb he had tattooed on himself. Rangiku was determined to make him put himself first one day however.

"Ah really have tae go," Gin cut in quickly, "really sorry."

The snowboard cross rider turned and ran off in a hurry and that was a good cue for Toshiro to leave too.

"I should go as well," he murmured, checking the time on his Tag Heuer watch.

"Will you text me and keep me updated?" Rangiku asked and her eyes flashed with protectiveness telling him she wanted him to update him on more than just the scores and he smiled softly at her.

"Yeah of course," he agreed, turning more towards Rukia now. "Will you two keep me up to date with Gin?"

"Of course," Rukia winked and Toshiro spotted Rangiku still for a moment at the exchange.

_Ah_, that's right. He had forgotten to tell Rangiku about yesterday. _Oh he was in trouble now_.

"Rukia, I will meet you in your hotel lobby in ten?" the strawberry blonde asked, eyes moving back and forth between the two shorter athletes, the cogs in her mind obviously turning.

The Irish girl nodded and turned, her midnight hair swishing behind her and Toshiro inhaled her scent as it drifted towards him. She wasn't even through the door yet when Rangiku turned on him.

"You have her number?" Rangiku hissed, eyes wide as she led him to the elevator.

"Shut up and yes," he whispered urgently and very quietly, he filled her in on yesterday afternoon. He left out many details, especially the part about Rukia's sad family history – if she had barely been able to tell him, he doubted she was comfortable with Rangiku knowing too. Mostly Toshiro just spoke about the double orgasm; it was still his proudest moment and the strawberry blonde stared at him in awe.

"Here I am faking most of my orgasms," she complained as they entered the lift with the other athletes, "and you're giving them out like Oprah giving away free vacations."

There was no regard to volume with her words and Toshiro felt his cheeks heat again, looking away quickly when the Australian team's only Skeleton event athlete glanced over at him, her eyes giving him the once over with a sly curiosity. Thankfully the other athletes cramming into the lift were all sporting Team Argentina jackets and if they knew English enough to know what was being said, they were ignoring it.

When the lift doors finally opened, Toshiro rushed out escaping into his room before anything more could fly out of her mouth. He put away his clean clothes and waited twenty minutes, knowing she would be late to meet Rukia, before he considered himself safe again. When he made it back down to the lobby, his family were waiting for him.

"You alright?" Isshin asked, a flash of concern in his eyes for his son who was never normally late.

"Just had to do some laundry," he muttered, "and hide from Rangiku."

His father chuckled, throwing an arm around him as he let the family towards the mountain for Ichigo's finals.

"Yuzu filled me in on her afternoon," Isshin told him as they rode the chairlift together, behind them on the next chair, they could hear Yuzu's voice gushing loudly to Kukaku about landing her Lutz. "I don't think she's stopped talking about it, to be honest."

There was a deep chuckle with his words and Toshiro glanced behind him to see the blonde's excited face lit up as she recounted the story to her coach/aunt. The next chair down had an annoyed Karin and an exhausted Jinta riding together in silence, obviously both of them needing a small break from Yuzu's bubbling energy.

"Thank you for organising that," Isshin murmured, smiling down at his son, Toshiro's heart skipping for a moment, "and thank you for making an effort with Jinta this morning. You didn't glare once."

"I internalised it," Toshiro shrugged which caused Isshin to laugh out loud.

"Well whatever the case," Isshin chuckled, "you've made your sister feel much better."

Toshiro nodded, glad that he had helped even if Yuzu had no interest in him after she had got what she wanted – time with Rukia and the latest 'RukiShiro' gossip.

They reached the top of the mountain and filed into the audience seats, Toshiro ended up sitting between Karin on the edge and Isshin, the dark haired twin wanting to be as far away from her sister as possible.

"I love her to death," Karin grumbled, dropping into her seat beside him, "but fuck the girl can babble."

Toshiro chuckled as she huffed and leaned his cheek against the crown of her head as she rested her own cheek on his shoulder.

The finals for the men's aerial skiing commenced with twelve skiers competing, having qualified in the heats three days ago. There would be three chances to jump, but unlike Toshiro's events, not all of the athletes would get to go all three times – there was an elimination factor. All twelve would jump the first time and be scored, the bottom three immediately removed from the competition, leaving nine to jump a second time. Again the bottom three would not progress and the third and final round would be the top six, the winning three scores of that round determining the podium line up. Again, this was different to the snowboarding finals where the best of three scores would determine their overall rank for the day, but for Ichigo, he would need to make sure he stayed out of the bottom three for his first two jumps and then nailed that last one, no room for error.

The sport was mental. The skier would slide down an icy ramp before shooting up a three metre ramp to be launched up to six metres in the air in which they would twist and flip almost like gymnasts. The landing was the phenomenal part though and given it was on a downward slope, the skier might be up to twenty metres above their landing spot at the highest point of their jump. Somehow these athletes could land their jumps though, and skid down the snow-covered slope without falling (although lots of falling did occur).

Toshiro didn't have much of a clue about the technicalities of the sport, his mind mentally comparing the jumps to what they would be called in snowboarding. During Ichigo's first run, the strawberry launched into the air, body straight and arms twisting, his body flipped over three times while rotating four times. It looked nothing like a snowboarding jump but Toshiro still found himself referring to it as a triple cork 1440, his father chuckling beside him at the comparison.

The first round of jumps finished and the Shiba clan stood in their chairs and cheered as both Ichigo and Renji made it into the top nine in third and fifth place respectively.

"Renji's coach, Jushiro Ukitake, used compete alongside your mother," Isshin told them as the officials and athletes reset for the second round of jumps.

Toshiro and Karin glanced up in interest.

"Jushiro from her book?" Toshiro clarified.

"That's him," Isshin smiled. "They represented different countries and obviously competed separately due to their genders but he was at the Olympics with us that year. He was actually with me when I went to win her back."

"And now he's Renji coach?" Karin asked in amazement. "Small world."

"The winter athlete community is definitely a small world," Isshin chuckled. "Kisuke Urahara is another of the Irish coaches who was with us that day."

Toshiro remembered that from Masaki's book. That was how his parents had met, when they had gone to watch the snowboard cross heat and Urahara had been a mutual friend of both of them. The man must have been Gin and Soi Fon's coach now.

"Have you seen them since we've been here?" Toshiro asked, leaning in eagerly for any news on people who were mentioned in his mother's autobiography.

"Briefly," Isshin nodded. "I ended up having a drink with them at the bar. Poor Jushiro wasn't well though, he's been struggling with a chronic lung disease for a while now, apparently."

"Coaching skiing couldn't be helping that," Toshiro commented, processing the implications.

Isshin sighed and shook his head in agreeance but further conversation on the matter was lost as the second round of jumps began.

Renji went first this time and his jump was flawless, beyond anything anyone saw in the first round. He had qualified for sure because there was no way that six of the eight remaining skiers were going to top that and the redhead's cocky grin told the audience he was well aware of how good that jump had been.

Toshiro whipped out his phone to text the girls at Gin's heat, updating them as promised. He text Rukia first.

**Toshiro, 19:34pm: **_Hey beautiful :) how's Gin doing?_

He thought he would ask about her friend before he launched into the details on the event he was watching.

She hadn't replied by the time the second and third skiers from Canada and Britain went, both of them slotting in under the Irish athlete. Toshiro tried Rangiku instead.

**Toshiro, 19.41pm**: _Renji has definitely qualified for the final round, just waiting on Ichigo to jump again! How's things there?_

The reply from Rukia came in before Rangiku's, forcing the white haired man to jump between conversations.

**Rukia, 19:43pm:** _Hey Handsome ;) _  
_Gin's got through his first round, we're just waiting for his second._

Oh he liked 'Handsome' as a pet name. He replied quickly.

**Toshiro, 19:44pm: **_I'm sure he will do great, especially with such gorgeous supporters cheering him on (heart eyes)_

Flipping back to his conversations with Rangiku, he read her reply and it was basically the same as what Rukia had said, minus the 'Handsome' comment. Toshiro didn't get a chance to reply to her though because Ichigo's name was being announced and Toshiro spotted him at the top of the ramp, standing alongside Yoruichi.

This time Ichigo hadn't done so well; the jump itself had been perfect but the landing, which was apparently worth thirty percent of the score, was messy, the family gasping loudly when he landed but immediately stumbled forward and somersaulted over his skis. He was unhurt though, thankfully, and came up pretty well after the stumble, but his score left him in fourth (also currently last) position with five more skiers to go.

Three more skiers went, representing China, Korea and Belarus. The Chinese skier killed it, nailing his jump and coming in second place, pushing Ichigo into fifth. The Korean skier crashed on landing, scoring under Ichigo and immediately ending his own Olympic journey, but the skier from Belarus scored high, not quite beating Renji or the Chinese skier but still pushing Ichigo down a slot. Ichigo was now in sixth position, the cut-off mark, with two skiers to go. Toshiro and his family inhaled sharply as they watched the Swiss skier take off, all holding their breaths in dread that Ichigo could be eliminated. The Swiss skier crashed dramatically on the landing and tumbled the whole way down the slope. His score was revealed and he was coming last, keeping Ichigo in place. The final skier fucked up on take-off, something causing him to hesitate and mess up his jump, dramatically reducing his spins and flips quota and when he landed with a stumble, he was deducted enough points that Ichigo only narrowly made it into the final round.

The family erupted in cheers as Ichigo's name appeared on the board for the finals, the scores resetting and giving him a fair shot at the podium.

The officials geared up again for the third round and Toshiro quickly brought out his phone to pass on the good news to Rangiku, since he had still not received a reply from Rukia.

**Toshiro, 19:56pm**: _Ichigo is through to the final round! :) :) :)_

The final round of jumps went much quicker now that there were only six skiers and the audience anticipation and suspense was on the brink of explosion. The Chinese skier went first, his jump pretty perfect in Toshiro's eyes and scored high. The skier from Britain went next, his jump not as good but still very decent. Ichigo went third and-

PERFECT!

The strawberry's jump had been incredible and the whole audience knew! Four flips, four rotations, and perfect body position. It was incredible! Toshiro grinned madly when the scores were revealed and he was announced to be in first place. He had earned 128.05, and as Toshiro found out later, this was a new personal best for his brother.

The skier from Canada went fourth and jumped beautifully too, but a stumble on the landing put him in third position, officially knocking the British skier off the podium.

The Shiba clan stilled for a moment as it registered. Ichigo was still in gold medal position, and with only two skiers to go, that meant even if they both beat him, he would still walk away with a bronze.

"He's medalled," Toshiro breathed, echoing the thoughts of his family. Beside him, Isshin sniffed and Toshiro glanced up to see his father with proud tears in his eyes. Across the row, Yuzu was balling her eyes out in happiness.

Back on the ground, Ichigo appeared to be shaking with disbelief, the situation not quite sinking in yet.

The skier from Belarus went next but they didn't care, even when his jump was so flawless knocked Ichigo into silver. _He had medalled, for fuck's sake! _

Renji went last and the Shiba clan cheered wildly for him, hoping to see him on the podium beside his boyfriend.

Unfortunately it was not to be as Renji crashed hard on landing, snow spraying everywhere has he tumbled into a heap at the bottom of the ramp. Ichigo was there before the medics, his skis long since ditched and Toshiro waited breathlessly. The whole family sighed in relief when Renji sat up, wincing painfully but otherwise okay. Ichigo kissed him deeply, not caring who saw, and the audience cooed as Renji pulled Ichigo into his lap.

Toshiro found himself tearing up at that too, chuckling wetly with his family. It was just too beautiful a moment, and the real love between the two men was so obvious, not even the homophobes could deny that.

The men pulled a part and Renji grinned up at Ichigo mouthing something that looked like 'silver, Babe' as he pointed to the scoreboard where Renji's name slipped in to last position, locking Ichigo in second.

The strawberry stared at it, eyes wide and uncomprehending while Renji squeezed his waist with a chuckle.

The family was now well and truly emotional, minus Jinta but he wasn't actually Shiba anyway. Even Karin, the girl that never cried, was getting teary on them and Toshiro, upon teasingly pointing that out, was very aggressively shoved and told to 'shut the fuck up'. He chuckled and hugged her despite protests as the officials set up the podium for the medal ceremony.

It took some time, and Ichigo was a sobbing mess by the time the ceremony began, being torn out of Renji's arms and led to the podium by a beaming Yoruichi.

The Chinese skier was announced the winner of the bronze medal and stood on the lowest side of the podium, holding up his country's flag with one hand and his skis in the other. Ichigo was then announced as the silver medal winner and the Shibas rose out of their seats again, jumping up and down as they cheered. In the audience, a number of Aussie flags flew alongside the odd rainbow Pride flag. Ichigo was beaming, tears still streaming down his cheeks as he stepped onto the podium, his own flag hanging out of his raised arm. Finally, the skier from Belarus stepped up to the top of the podium, his grin wide and eyes shining as his country's national anthem began to play in the background.

There they had it, the three medallists in the men's aerial skiing.

"You okay?" Kukaku asked Isshin from the proud father's other side.

"Yeah," Isshin answered, emotion in his voice but still smiling. "I just wish Masaki had gotten to see this."

"She would be watching over him right now," Toshiro heard Kukaku answer, "she would be so proud."

They weren't a religious family but they all held the general consensus that Masaki was still watching over them, from wherever her spirit had gone. Toshiro smiled privately to himself; it was a comforting thought to think she hadn't really left them.

When the ceremony was over the families of the athletes were allowed into the athlete's area to greet their winners, the Shiba family causing quite the racket as the large Australian group burst through the barriers. Isshin reached Ichigo first, pulling him straight out of Renji's arms and lifting his eldest son up with surprising strength for a fifty-something year old man. The family laughed and Karin snapped a quick picture, muttering "for the 'Gram'" under her breath.

Ichigo was put down and Isshin moved to hug Renji, ignoring the redhead's outstretched arm going in for a handshake instead. The Shibas were huggers, it was best he learned that now.

Yoruichi was there too and hugs exchanged by everyone, including the sickly man with long white hair that was being introduced to them as Renji's coach, Jushiro Ukitake, the man from Masaki's book.

Then, as Ichigo had hugged every other person in the family, it came time for Toshiro's turn, if he would even be granted one. An awkward beat passed over them as Ichigo stared at his younger brother, considering him for a moment. Toshiro felt his heart sink as he prepared the rejection that was coming, his family too busy greeting Renji to notice what was going on between the adopted Shiba siblings. It seemed both of them were rapidly coming off the high of Ichigo's win.

Finally, when Toshiro had given up hope, he was awarded a touch of affection. It wasn't a hug but a fist bump, but he supposed that was better than nothing.

"Congratulations," Toshiro said quickly. "Those jumps were really impressive. Mum would be-"

"Thanks for coming," Ichigo cut over him. "I know you had a big afternoon with Yuzu planned."

Taking a small step back, Toshiro felt apprehension was over him. He didn't want to fight with Ichigo here on the mountain while they should have just been celebrating the gleaming silver around his neck.

"Uh not really," the younger brother felt his voice going small. "We were only with Rukia for about half an hour. Yuzu went back to Jinta after that."

Laughing heartily, Ichigo threw an arm around Toshiro's shoulders and squeezed, but the white haired man was too tense to appreciate the affection.

"Oh relax, I'm not mad," Ichigo was chuckling. "I know she just wanted to see Rukia and that you were her best connection."

It was said with light humour but Toshiro wasn't stupid; he knew Ichigo well enough to know that was a subtle dig. What he really meant was 'Yuzu used you to get to Rukia, she only wanted to hang out with her and not you.' The snowboarder didn't respond, taking the jibe with a grain of salt and determined not to react. His silence was probably reaction enough though as Ichigo released him, ruffled his hair and walked away with a satisfied smirk, making his point clearer as he moved straight over to Yuzu and picked the girl up, swinging her around.

Toshiro didn't breathe as he watched them interact. Yuzu screamed and giggled until she was put down again and immediately sunk into her oldest brother's arms in a way she had never done with him. Renji came along and joined the cuddle, his huge arms and chest wrapping around them both while the family looked on adoringly.

They stayed around and celebrated a little longer, watching as Ichigo went off to do a panel interview with the press alongside the other medallists. He looked so happy. Meanwhile, Toshiro floated around aimlessly, feeling like he was a ghost, watching from a distance and invisible to all.

Eventually it was home time and the Shibas lined up behind everyone else for the chairlift back to the base of the mountain.

Yuzu and Jinta held hands as they slipped onto the first chair, Renji and Ichigo copying them as they were picked up by the second. Karin and Kukaku were pushing each other playfully, acting like children when they sat back into the next chair, and Isshin and Yoruichi were deep in coach-talk when they hopped onto theirs.

Toshiro rode last and alone, feelings from his childhood resurfacing again. That middle child syndrome Karin accused him of having pretty undeniable in that moment as the emotions associated with feeling left out and neglected rose within him, followed by anger at himself for being so pitiful and selfish considering it was Ichigo's night, not his.

Unlocking his phone, hoping it would distract him for the rest of the ride down the mountain, Toshiro sighed when he saw his most recent text from Rukia still left unanswered. He had no reply from her but he did have an unread message from his ex.

** MomoHatesToshiroShiba, 21:09pm:**  
_Ur an idiot and no1 will love u like I did._

And for once, Toshiro felt like maybe Momo was right.

…

** RenIchi4eva**  
_Congrats on Ichigo for stealing the silver tonight! Renji looked so happy for him (heart) anD THAT KISS OMG_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_Fingers crossed Toshiro and Rangiku can bring that same game to their own finals next week!_

** Ichibean**  
_THAT KISS! OMG I CANT-_

** Renji-fan01**  
_Aw I wish Renji could have been on the podium too but seeing that kiss was worth it! __**#supportiveboyfriends**_

** SwagItMatsumoto**  
_Meanwhile Rangiku was at Gin's heats… __**#GinRan**_

** Toshiupdates**  
_** SwagItMatsumoto**__ I wonder if Toshiro would have been there too if his brother's finals weren't on (thinking face) __**#RukiShiro**_

…

**Remember to read LethanWolf's Rukia POV if you haven't already!**

**Let us know if you're enjoying this fic by popping a review below :) It fills us with joy ^.^**


	7. Flat On His Back

**IT'S GINRAN WEEK IN THE SEIREITEI DISCORD SERVER!**

**Yes it's GinRan Week, unfortunately Lethan and I didn't have time to write our own GinRan pieces, so what you see here is a HitsuRuki chapter with a strong side serving of GinRan ahaha**

**Enjoy xoxo**

…

"Have you made a decision about Germany yet?"

"Still thinking on it."

"When do you have to make a decision by-Fuck!"

"I'd say you're playing like toddler," Karin chuckled, tackling him and taking possession of the ball again, "but that would be an insult to toddlers!"

"It's slippery," Toshiro complained, turning and chasing after her.

They were playing one on one soccer in front of the hotel on a wide area of concrete that had been cleared of the overnight snow. Despite being cleared, many ice patches still existed and for some reason, Karin thought that would make the game more fun. Well Toshiro's ass hadn't though it so fun when he slipped and fell to the sound of Karin's uncontrollable laugh. They had to take a five minute break just so she could get herself together again.

"Don't be such a princess," Karin smirked, easily dodging his attempt to go for the ball and running around him.

The Olympics was now half way through, with the second week of events well underway. Many of the heats were over and awaiting the finals, and some of the events, such as the skiing, were completely finished. Yuzu and Jinta had done their short programme finals yesterday and, while they hadn't scored very well, they still had their free skate tomorrow, where they could hopefully make up the points (although it looked like they were definitely going to miss out on the podium). Toshiro himself had been training every day, waking up early and starting with a run before training either on the slopestyle course or in the halfpipe, mostly sharing time with the other finalists but also being allowed some private time with Isshin and Rangiku.

After a long discussion with Isshin, the Shiba men had decided on a solid slopestyle run. Having now experienced the Olympic course and seen what Grimmjow and Yumichika were capable of in just a heat, Toshiro had wanted to really push his limits for the finals. Unfortunately, he was sure that his two biggest competitors were doing the exact same things in their training time too.

"Yes!" Toshiro cheered, managing to steal the ball from between Karin's feet and running up field, trying to get as far away from her a possible.

They weren't really trying to score points, just trying to keep possession of the ball for as long as possible. This was instead of his morning run today, as Karin had caught him on the way out and demanded he train with her instead.

"Yeah, yeah," Karin huffed, catching up quickly. "Don't get cocky, Princess."

Toshiro laughed and dodged her again, quickly taking the ball in the opposite direction and making her run for it. This had been better than a run, much more fun despite the slipping and yet he was still sweating bullets; Toshiro had ditched his jacket long ago, now running around in a thin sleeveless hoodie. Karin kept him on his toes, and her teasing pushed him to try harder.

"Well your soccer playing is still shit, but your fitness has gone up," Karin panted before changing directing suddenly and cutting across him, Toshiro stumbling for a moment and groaning when she ran off with the ball again. The grin was evident in her voice when she called back, "but that won't help you hold onto the ball!"

The recent days had become blurs. When he wasn't training up the mountain, he was working out in the gym, keeping his fitness and strength up, while a carefully planned diet kept his body in top form. Come dinner time, Toshiro was exhausted, usually heading straight for bed with a heat pack for his aching muscles instead of hitting the bar scene with his friends.

Ichigo and Renji had finished their event now but everyone else in the Australian and Irish teams were still awaiting their finals which meant that Toshiro hadn't seen Rukia in days now. He missed her, and would have been worried about the state of their relationship if he didn't know Rukia was training just as hard as him right now. They were keeping in touch though, texting every day which putt Toshiro's nerves at ease. They sent each other playful photos and videos too, but nothing explicitly sexual, just flirty.

Even though they never talked about it, it seemed the ship name that had been created by fans for them, #RukiShiro, was picking up some serious speed on the internet, especially after he and Yuzu were spotted going into the rink during Rukia's private training time. Mostly it was just the fans getting in their theories and fan arts (Toshiro had looked through some of them and had to admit there were lot of good ones), but there was also a lot negative gossip out there too; some media and fans believing Rukia was just using him for sex, as her history suggested. The snowboarder tried to ignore that, focusing on the fact he appeared to be picking up many new followers, some were fans of his sport and had seen him in his heats but many of them were fans of Rukia coming over to check him out. Fortunately a lack of new incriminating pictures had meant Momo was mostly quiet recently, Toshiro not having heard from her since Ichigo's finals.

Speaking of Ichigo, Toshiro's brother had not stopped celebrating his silver medal win. Every night he was out, either in the village bar or at a nightclub outside, and usually didn't return until very late when Toshiro was long asleep or not at all if he went back to Renji's room. The white haired snowboarder had barely seen his brother and roommate since his finals but in the brief moments they had crossed paths, Ichigo hadn't said a single word to him after their little Yuzu altercation. The blonde teenager in question didn't seem to know about the tension over her but regardless, her attention was back on her heroic podium-making brother and Toshiro was again irrelevant, unless of course she was after the latest Rukia gossip.

"Come on, Karin," Toshiro laughed, running after the sister that still liked to hang out with him. "You can do better than that."

"Look who has the ball, Tosh," Karin laughed, smugness all too clear in her voice, making it all that much funnier when she then slipped on an ice patch and skidded, arms flailing to try and stop herself before ultimately falling on her ass.

Naturally, just as she had done to him, Toshiro's instinct (after checking to make sure she was okay) was to burst out laughing. She glared up at him, that same angry pout she had always used as a young girl, causing him to double over with loud laughter, needing to put his hands on his knees to support himself. _Karma!_

Getting to her feet, Karin whacked the ball at him as hard as she could and Toshiro only just managed to raise his arm quick enough to block the attack, his bare skin stinging as it smacked him forcefully before bouncing away. She was annoyed now and when the ball bounced back to her she kicked it purposely hard, sending it flying over Toshiro's head so that he would have to run after it. Chuckling, Toshiro caught up to the ball, sending it back with a big kick of his own, only to have Karin block it and send it back to him with a fancy foot trick and another harsh kick. It seemed they were moving from a game of trying to keep possession to Karin just trying to kick the shit out of the ball and hope it would hit him.

"You're gonna have to kick harder than that, Sis," he laughed, blocking another attack and sending back to her.

"Fuck off," Karin groaned, missing the ball by a hair's width and having to chase after it.

She didn't play well when she was frustrated.

Catching the ball again and bringing it back, Karin was about to smash it again when she paused, looking over his shoulder.

"Your girlfriend is here," she lifted her chin up, gesturing behind him.

Whipping around quickly and spotting Rukia crossing the road towards him, Toshiro couldn't help the grin erupting on his features, just the sight of her sending a burst of happy chemicals from his brain into his nervous system. Very much aware that he was red faced and sweating profusely, Toshiro lifted the hem of his sleeveless hoodie and used it to wipe his face a little; Rukia could see him sweaty during sex when she was just as bad and very much turned on, but out in public was another story, especially when she was there looking all gorgeous and perfect like that.

"Hello," she greeted him with a grin. "Thank you so much for the flowers."

Practically feeling Karin's curious gaze on them as she no doubt slunk closer to eavesdrop like the nosy sister she was, Toshiro felt his cheeks heat. Swallowing, he quickly tried to wipe his forehead again, the sweat instantly returning.

Rukia had her short programme finals that day and Toshiro had sent her a bouquet of purple tulips as a good luck present, having seen tulips were her favourite flowers on her Instagram. He had also written a little note and hoped it would make up for the fact that he wasn't going to be able to watch her performance live. He hadn't told anyone but Rangiku of his plans to send flowers but now, with Karin lurking so close by, it seemed it wasn't much of a secret anymore.

"Ah, you're welcome," Toshiro murmured, voice low. "I'm sorry I can't come to your short programme today, Dad has me training all morning and afternoon."

"That's okay," Rukia smiled at him, a slight pink tinge on her cheeks, "I know how important the practice time is right now, the Olympics is what we're here for, we can't afford for too many… distractions."

The look she had sent him as her eyes wandered over his arms and abdomen was nothing short of hungry and Toshiro flushed brightly. Karin was certainly smirking to herself right now, he could sense it.

"Yeah," Toshiro gave a nervous chuckle, glancing quickly over his shoulder to find Karin much closer than he expected before turning back to Rukia. "Good luck. I'll watch the reply later but text me and let me know how you got on?"

"Okay," she agreed, voice going a bit softer.

"I'll see you later?" Toshiro murmured, making it a question. He was hoping to see her again soon, the time without her and the tension with his brother/roommate making him feel rather lonely in the evenings, even if he was too tired to really dwell on it.

Stepping forward, Toshiro put his hand on the small of her back as his lips pressed gently to her forehead in an affectionate farewell gesture. When he stepped away, Rukia was grinning up at him and causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Yeah, see you later," she nodded before turning her attention to the evil twin behind him. "Bye Karin."

"Good luck," Karin called as the Irish skater turned to leave.

Watching her go, Toshiro felt two dark Shiba eyes burning into the back of his skull.

"Wow, flowers and a forehead kiss," Karin drawled, a sly smirk forming on her face. "I didn't realise things were getting so serious."

An automatic grin formed on his face, heightened only by the darkening blush. He shrugged casually but doubted that it fooled Karin any.

"She makes you happy, doesn't she?" Karin asked, voice much more gentle now, her eyes sweeping over him.

"Yeah she does," Toshiro answered without thinking, his grin softening into a tender smile as he thought of Rukia in his arms.

"That's sickeningly cute," Karin gagged playfully, returning to her blunt and spirited nature. "Romance is for dummies. Still, she's already far better than our old mate Momo."

Toshiro groaned, "Don't remind me."

They played a few more rounds before Toshiro had to head back to his room to change into his training gear and grab his snowboarding bag. The brief sight of Rukia after four days of communicating only through text had him grinning like an idiot the whole way up to his room and back down to meet his father outside the hotel.

"You look happy," Isshin smiled at him, handing his son back his water bottle after filling it up at the tap.

"I saw Rukia this morning," Toshiro couldn't help but share, and his father chuckled and ruffled his hair.

They waited for Rangiku down at the entrance to the village, the strawberry blonde late like usual. Isshin paced impatiently while Toshiro had taken to sitting a dry patch of concrete, knowing they could be waiting for quite some time, especially if she was on the phone to Gin again, as she had been every day since his heat. To pass the time, he brought up his phone to text Rukia again.

**Toshiro, 8:02am:** _Good luck beautiful, I know I said it already but you'll smash it ;)_

Switching then to her Instagram, Toshiro scrolled through her profile like he had already done a million times before, his grin turning goofy as he opened up his favourite pictures to look at again. He didn't expect her to text back any time soon, knowing she was likely to be busy preparing for her performance.

"Isshin," a man's voice called, the accent Irish.

A man about his father's age with long white hair approached them with a smile, looking cheerful despite his sickly appearance and the water bottle clutched desperately in his hand. Toshiro recognised him as Renji's coach from the skiing finals four days ago, the Irish man also being a long-time friend of his parents.

"Jushiro," Isshin greeted the man with a grin and a one-armed hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright," Jushiro coughed, sounding anything but alright. "Just been down to the pharmacy so I need to get back into the warmth, that's all."

Isshin clicked his tongue, "You shouldn't be going out in the cold and walking all that distance. Next time call me and I'll go down or I'll send one of the kids."

Toshiro nodded quickly in agreeance, happy to help the kind old soul his mother had described in her book. Jushiro smiled softly at him.

"I'll keep that in mind," he murmured just before coughing fit tore from him lungs. Isshin stepped forward, allowing the man to lean against him for a moment since there weren't any chairs around and Toshiro jumped up to help, pulling the water from the man's shaking grasp and undoing the lid before handing it back and watching with concern as his father took over, guiding the bottle to the sick man's lips.

It took a few minutes but eventually Jushiro stopped coughing and regained his breath soon after, gratefully accepting more water from Toshiro's own bottle when his had run out. Jushiro flashed him another smile but his eyes flicked back to Isshin.

"Just like his mother," the skiing coach grinned.

"You have no idea," Isshin replied softly, a gentle smile on his face as they both turned to look at him and Toshiro just frowned back in confusion.

"Speaking of," Jushiro cleared his throat as another cough threatened to spill over. "I was sorry to hear about Masaki's Olympic record being broken last night."

Toshiro froze. He forgot. The women's aerials was the most important event at the Olympics for him, next to his own, having watched it on television every Olympic year since he was old enough to know what was going on. Each time, anxiety would curl in his stomach as he worried that every next jump could be the one that broke his mother's record. He had been meaning to watch it this year but between all the rigorous training and dieting, Toshiro had been too tired to remember and had crashed very early. The women's finals for the aerial skiing had been rescheduled due to adverse weather on the afternoon they were due to jump, but it had been on last night and he'd just forgotten.

Replaying the words in his head, Toshiro's blood went ice cold. He took a step back, unable to breathe. How could her record be broken? She had held it for what, thirty years maybe? It was unbeatable. Just because he had been expecting someone to break it every new Olympics didn't mean he actually _expected someone to break it_. No, it couldn't be true. How could it-HOW?!

Glancing up at his father, Isshin was staring at him with concern, the lack of shock in his brown eyes telling Toshiro he had known already and that Jushiro's words were true.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your room," Isshin murmured, helping Jushiro to stand before he turned back to Toshiro. "I'll be back in a moment."

Watching helplessly as the two older men walked off, deep in serious conversation, Toshiro immediately pulled out his phone and checked the scores for the women's aerials to see for himself. He stumbled a little and fell back onto his dry patch, his heart stopping in his chest and almost being regurgitated out of his throat when he saw the score for the gold medallist, a Chinese woman who now held the new Olympic record, her score only 1.3 points higher than Masaki's had been.

At that moment, an incoming text from Rukia made his phone buzz and a banner notification across the top of his screen had him looking away from the webpage. Using his thumb, Toshiro pulled the notifications bar down to read her message without leaving his page.

**Rukia, 8:10am:** _Thanks sexy ;) maybe if I do well you can send me another picture?_  
_How about one of your thick cock? ;)_

Staring blankly at it, Toshiro felt a familiar bad weight settle in his stomach, spurring on his already erratic heart. It might just be his warped mind trying to process the recent news but he couldn't imagine this text to be anything other than what it looked like, which was Rukia's drive to turn away from romance and use him just for sex. It was what Momo kept saying, wasn't it? It was what a lot of the gossip was speculating.

Now maybe he was wrong, maybe he was overthinking it or jumping to a false conclusion without context. Rukia could have been just joking with him, or even hungry for sex while feeling romantic things but Toshiro couldn't shake the bad feeling. Swiping the notification away, Toshiro returned to the first problem, reading through an article reporting last night's finals event like it had been an exciting event, not a horror story as Toshiro saw it.

"Son," Isshin called him back when he returned minutes later, standing over him with worried eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Toshiro answered quickly, turning back to his phone and feeling those Shiba eyes burning into him from above.

"I was going to tell you after training," Isshin sighed, crouching down to Toshiro's level. "I didn't want you going up the mountain with that in your mind."

"It's fine, Dad," Toshiro spoke firmly, continuing to scroll but he had stopped reading. "We knew it was going to happen sooner or later."

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and his muscles tightened automatically but Toshiro refused to give him a verbal indication that his mind was doing backflips. _Close yourself off_, his instincts told him, _don't let him know you're in pain_. It was his default response as a child, to allow Isshin to focus on the other kids, but now he had no excuse. His siblings were all functioning adults, they didn't need their father every second of the day, but still Toshiro couldn't bring himself to open up. He didn't want to be a burden.

The father exhaled and pulled Toshiro into a tight hug.

"Your mother would have wanted this," Isshin murmured softly. "She wanted to inspire more women to ski competitively, and I think she would have been happy to see her score beaten after so many years."

What did it matter what she might have wanted if she wasn't able to tell them herself;_ dead people don't get opinions._

"Ichigo took it pretty well," Isshin continued. "He feels that after winning his silver that she has sort of passed the torch onto him. He's determined to break the men's record now."

The last bit was said with a bit of a chuckle but Toshiro didn't respond. Staying silent, the young snowboarder waited to be released but Isshin didn't let him go until Rangiku finally turned up.

"You're late," Toshiro muttered, taking the words right out of Isshin's mouth as they both separated and stood.

"I was on the phone," she giggled, flicking her long ginger braid over her shoulder. "I think Gin finds it easier to talk to me that way."

"I wonder why," Toshiro bit back, picking up his snowboard bag and hoisting it over his shoulder.

"Oh grumpy today," Rangiku chuckled, reaching out for him, likely to ruffle his hair, but Toshiro flinched away and took a half step back from her.

Retracting her hand with a confused frown, Rangiku's eyes swept over him as his serious mood seemed to register with her.

"Stop being so late," Toshiro snapped before she could say anything, feeling his emotions starting to bubble over. "Some of us aren't guaranteed medals and can't miss half an hour of training everyday so you can giggle down the phone line at some shy idiot."

"Toshiro, wha-"

Not letting her ask anything, Toshiro turned on his heel and marched away, walking swiftly down the hill towards the base of the mountain and the chairlift that would take them up to the slopestyle course.

"Not today, Ran," he heard Isshin warn her. "Give him some space."

They held back as he stalked on down the hill but caught up quickly when he reached the chairlifts. Isshin slid onto the chair beside him but didn't say a word. _Good_, because Toshiro was not in the mood and it was getting hard to keep his emotions in check.

His phone vibrated and Toshiro glanced down at the notification.

** MomoHatesToshiroShiba, 8:45am:**  
_(Image attached)_  
_U got 2 b fuckin kiddin_

Toshiro gritted his teeth, preparing himself for a new bout of Momo messages. When was this girl going to get a clue?

He opened the message and saw the screenshot she had attached. It was a post by RukiaFansOfficial with photos attached of him and Rukia from that very morning in the village. The first photo was of them standing close and blushing at each other, and the second was more telling as Toshiro was captured with his hand on the small of Rukia's back and his lips on her forehead, pressing what was obviously a chaste and a caring kiss to her skin. It infuriated him that they had no privacy, even inside the walls of the athlete's village, and angered him further that he couldn't even go all of two hours before those images were posted online and turned up trending, entering his inbox in the form of a screenshot sent by his ex.

The recent news and reply text from Rukia was clouding his judgement but Toshiro was frustrated and furious. He had tried the ignoring strategy for months now and yet Momo still didn't grow bored and let up. It was time for a new tactic.

** Toshhiba, 8:47am:**  
_Not kidding. Rukia and I are dating, I told her I love her and now I'm planning to propose at the closing ceremony._

A couple of bold lies but he was just about fucking_ done_.

And apparently so was Momo, her reply coming in several minutes later and boy, it was a doozy.

** MomoHatesToshiroShiba, 8:31am:**  
_u know wat? Were done. I put my heart n soul into trying 2 fix our relationship but ur 2 fucked 2 realise that the only person who loves u is me. Ur real parents didn't love u so they threw u away like garbage. Isshin will never love u like he loves his REAL kids, no matter how much u suck up 2 him with snowboarding. Even ur siblings hate u! Ichigo wishes u were never adopted, Yuzu only comes 2 u when she wants somethin and Karin had 2 move 2 Germany 2 get the fuck away from u. That bitch Rukia won't ever love u back because u will never b anythin more than a good fuck 4 her. I hope ur dead mum is proud of wat an asshole u turned out 2 b._

Toshiro read it once, and then a second time; three, four and five more times and then some more until the words didn't even look like words anymore. He had tried to silence her but it was him left speechless as Momo got the last word in.

Words he wasn't allowed to use thrown at him like 'hate', and 'real' in the context biological relationships. So many truths hurled at his heart, including ones he had been praying to be false but he knew deep down Momo was right. Of course she was. These were many of his insecurities he had told her confidentially when they were dating, and now here she was, spitting them back to him like acid rain.

His heart had stopped and his body felt like it was icing over but Toshiro held a straight face, locking his phone and slipping it back in his pocket.

_Numb._

Numb was good though, numb meant he couldn't feel and if he couldn't feel, he couldn't get upset.

This was a problem for later, he decided, for now he had training to do and they were already late.

The chair creaked as they made it to the top landing and Toshiro and Isshin slid off with grace.

They warmed up, Isshin ordering them to do a variety of heart rate increasing exercises to get their blood pumping and muscles warmed before they took to the slopestyle course. Today was one of the lucky days they got a couple hours to themselves. Athletes were usually only granted an hour each but Toshiro and Rangiku combined their times to get a two hour block to train, which gave them more time to work on strengthening their runs.

Or it would have, had Toshiro not been having such a shocking morning.

The first time he kept under rotating on the bigger jumps, the second time he was over rotating to try and compensate. He was letting go of his holds early and landing very shakily, his hand almost always touching down. Rangiku was watching with concern while Isshin was growing frustrated, continually telling him to 'pull your head in'. Accurate advice, since Toshiro's head was indeed all over the place, but still Toshiro only seemed to get worse as time ticked on.

Rangiku did another flawless run down the course and Toshiro lined himself up to go again.

"I really need you to focus, Toshiro," Isshin ordered, "and keep those knees bent when landing."

Toshiro nodded and took off, starting the course as agreed but his mind wasn't in it. He wasn't sure where his mind was actually; he couldn't focus on any thought long enough. The devastation at hearing his mother's record had been broken, the annoyance that Rangiku seemed to follow her own time schedule and everyone else needed to slot into it, the purely sexual text Rukia had sent. He didn't know where to focus his thoughts but it certainly wasn't the slopestyle course and Toshiro refused to acknowledge that abomination Momo had sent.

His body was running on autopilot and didn't reengage until Toshiro ended up flat on his back with the air knocked out of him, staring up at the overcast sky, stunned. It took him too many beats to realise he had fallen on the first major jump half way down the course. _Shit._

With a groan, Toshiro pushed himself up into a sitting position, clocking Rangiku running up to meet him.

"Toshiro!" Isshin yelled from near the top of the course, having run down a few metres. "Are you hurt?!"

"I'm fine," Toshiro called back, wheezing as he tried to breathe again.

Rangiku was there, dropping her board and falling to her knees beside him.

"You alright, Bub?" she asked urgently, pulling off his snow goggles so she could look into his eyes.

He nodded, leaning into her touch as she cupped his face. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, a relieved smile gracing her features. They unclipped his board from his feet and she helped him get back up. Isshin was waiting patiently for them at the top as they walked slowly back up, Toshiro rubbing his back as he walked.

Isshin pulled him to the side immediately as they reached the top, turning him around and lifting his snow jacket and shirt to get a look at his back.

"Bruising already starting to set in," Isshin murmured, before pressing his hand to Toshiro's skin, "Numb or tingling?"

"No," Toshiro answered with a wince, definitely no numbness on his back but his heart was another story.

"Probably no ice burn then," Isshin hummed, "but we'll do a warm-water treatment when we get back to the hotel just to be safe. Tuck in your shirt so your back stays warm."

Nodding, Toshiro did as he was told, tucking his shirt securely into the waistline of his snow trousers, protecting his back from cold air slipping under his jacket.

"Alright, take a break," his coach ordered. "Walk it off, have some water, and come back when you're ready."

"I'm ready now," Toshiro told him, reaching down to pick up his board again.

"No, you're not," Isshin argued, raising a pointed eyebrow. "You're unfocused and I'm not letting back down that course again until you've pulled it together."

Those were firm words spoken by a coach, not a father.

"I'm fine, Dad," Toshiro shook his head. "It was just-"

"A woman fell on this course yesterday and broke her wrist," Isshin cut over him quickly. "She's out of the finals now. This is a hard course, Toshiro, and you especially need to be focused."

"_Me especially_," Toshiro repeated challengingly, "but not Rangiku."

"Rangiku gets her emotions out off the course," Isshin explained, voice stern. "You bottle them up and it causes you to lose concentration. This sport is dangerous and if you lose your concentration, you will get hurt."

The dull throb in his back was evidence enough and Toshiro could hardly argue against that.

"So either you tell me what's going on in that genius brain of yours," Isshin offered him, "or you take a break until you can prove that you can perform your tricks safely."

When Toshiro said nothing, torn over his instinct to close up and his other determination to never let is father down, Isshin sighed and turned to walk away, disappointment clear in his eyes.

"They'll forget her," Toshiro called after him, the stronger drive winning out and Isshin turned back to face him, curious eyes flickering over his face. Breathing, Toshiro could feel a lump in the back of his throat but he was determined not to get that emotional.

"What do you mean?" Isshin asked softly, coming closer again.

"They'll forget her," Toshiro repeated, slow and steady while his heart rate was anything but. "Her name was removed from the records and replaced with some random woman's."

Masaki Kurosaki's name would be long forgotten, his mother – _forgotten._

"Her achievement means nothing now," Toshiro continued, feeling his throat tighten as his voice got thicker. He unbuckled and removed his helmet, feeling it choking him. "She will be forgotten."

Isshin's eyes closed as he exhaled, seemingly understanding now. He reached blindly for Toshiro and pulled his son in for another tight hug, this time white haired snowboarder hugged him back, needing the stability. Years and years of closing himself off meant he had never learned how to process things, but he hadn't realised how bad he was at handling emotions until his teenage years when he developed the nasty habit of simply fainting when he got too worked up, his brain basically telling him 'nope, don't know how to deal with this, time for a soft reset.' It hadn't occurred often, only the odd time after a massive blowout with Ichigo or, most notably, when Isshin had accepted his offer to coach Toshiro and presented him with a brand new snowboard to start his career off, all on his sixteenth birthday. It didn't happen at all now, Toshiro learning to blow off much of his steam through exercise or talking through things with Rangiku, but sometimes he still felt dizzy when his emotions were running high.

"We won't forget her," Isshin murmured, gently brushing Toshiro's hair back. "You won't forget her and your children will grow up knowing her name. No one else matters."

Swallowing, Toshiro nodded into the man's snow jacket. No one else mattered. It was up to him now to make sure Masaki's legacy carried on. She would be remembered forever in the Shiba household.

Blinking, Toshiro pulled back from the dark jacket with a deep exhale, already beginning to feel a fraction lighter than before.

"You want to give the run another go?" Isshin asked.

"I might take that break," Toshiro murmured. "Stretch out my back."

"Good idea," Isshin smiled softly, leading them back over to where Rangiku was jogging on the spot, patiently keeping herself warm while she waited for her coach to return.

The rest of the training session went better after that. Toshiro took a ten minute break to clear his head a bit. Much of his concentration issues had been resolved after the talk with his father; he was still feeling some strange anxiety over Rukia's text and the Momo thing he was able to push to the back of his mind, but for the most part, he was able to complete his runs much more smoothly and without injury, even though they were still far from perfect.

"You had a bad day," Isshin shrugged as they walked back towards the chairlift, leaving the slopestyle course to the Americans. "That happens sometimes. It's okay. We'll be more focused tomorrow."

Nodding, Toshiro inhaled the fresh winter air as they walked, feeling it fill up his lungs instead of getting stuck in his throat. He could breathe better now. Dropping back, Toshiro stepped in line with Rangiku as she walked; he wanted to apologise for his harsh words earlier.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you before," Toshiro murmured sheepishly. "I wasn't really mad at you, I just… I took something else out on you and I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry, Ran."

She stopped in her tracks, dropping her board and pulling him in for a warm hug.

"No, I'm sorry," she mumbled solemnly. "You're completely right to be mad, I've been really selfish and it's not fair to make you wait for me when we get such little training time here."

Smiling softly in her shoulder, Toshiro squeezed her a little in forgiveness. They had both been rude to each other but now they were back on track. They separated and picked up their boards again, scrambling to catch up to Isshin.

Father and son rode the chairlift back down in a companionable silence, Toshiro starting to feel very tired, while Rangiku was giggling into her phone again in the chair behind them,

"Skip the gym this afternoon," Isshin murmured. "Your body needs a rest from it."

Simply nodding, Toshiro exhaled, too drained to disagree.

They arrived back at the hotel rooms and Isshin, upon checking his son's back again and seeing a bit of ice burn setting in, sent Toshiro straight to the shower, instructing him to sit under the warm, gentle spray for fifteen minutes. Normally Toshiro didn't like to use that much water, being an environmentalist and all, but his back was beginning to ache and the ice burn was definitely starting to tingle in a bad way, even though it fairly was mild. His back was a hard area to soak and since the rooms didn't have bathtubs, the shower was really the only choice. He sat under the spray as instructed and he found himself becoming sleepy as the ice, sweat and emotions washed off him, feeling calm again as he pushed the drama of the morning away.

Fifteen minutes was up too soon and Toshiro groaned as he pulled himself from the shower and changed into some comfortable trackies and a t-shirt. Isshin was waiting for him when he got out, checking over the injury again.

"The burn has definitely faded, but the bruising is coming out more," Isshin noted, pressing certain parts of Toshiro's back to test their tenderness. "Take it easy for the rest of the day, nothing too strenuous and definitely no exercise."

Sighing and nodding, Toshiro slipped into bed as Isshin left. He picked up his phone again, steering clear of his Instagram app and reopened the last message he had from Rukia. Deciding to brush it off and ignore it, Toshiro sent her a new message, since now she would be finished with her short programme finals.

**Toshiro, 12:33pm:** _Hey beautiful, how did it go? :)_

He flicked on the television, skipping through the channels until the women's individual figure skating appeared, a replay of Rukia's short programme finals event. It was in French with German subtitles but he didn't mind. The replay had only just started and first up was a small woman for Italy. The good thing about watching the replay was the editing; there was no wait time between performance and scores, and then the next skater was going instantly.

Keeping it on in the background, Toshiro ate his lunch which Rangiku had kindly dropped off while he was in the shower. Skater after skater went and Toshiro was finding it harder to focus, his mind constantly trying to wander back to that ghastly DM from Momo. Managing only just to refrain from rereading it, Toshiro forced himself to google figure skating and learn more about the sport.

Isane, Rukia's Japanese friend, was currently being shown on the screen when a text from Rukia finally came through.

**Rukia, 12:52pm:** _Not good, talk later._

Well that did nothing to settle Toshiro's thoughts. He felt his entire body deflate at the news she hadn't had a good finals and the shortness with her language had the snowboarder shifting uneasily. He didn't know if she was just too busy to talk or too upset, but it seemed like she was annoyed with him.

Steeling himself, Toshiro decided not to reply; she knew he would be waiting for her whenever she was ready. All he could do now was watch her performance so he would be educated when she was ready to talk to him.

Two Russians went, one of them doing a spectacular job and actually breaking the world record, before Rukia was finally skating out onto the centre of the ice.

She was nervous, Toshiro could see that. Even through the tiny screen and over the top of the French-speaking commentators, Toshiro could feel her anxious energy, it was not too dissimilar to that afternoon when he had brought her up to his room to talk. It was weird seeing her nervous on the ice, when all he had ever seen of her there (and he had watched many of her past performances on YouTube) was utter confidence. In fact, he had been a little jealous.

The opening bars of her burlesque song started and Rukia took off. Toshiro watched with a slight frown; her theatricality that had been present at her heats was missing, like her mind wasn't in it. It was almost like how he had been in training that morning, except he had been on autopilot, just going through the motions without thinking, while Rukia looked like she was thinking too much, aware that she was struggling and trying to correct it, but only looking worse. Like Yuzu; Rukia was looking like an inexperience skater, not the veteran she was.

Of course Rukia was still beautiful and so was her skating, in Toshiro's opinion, but it ripped his heart out to see her suffering.

When Rukia then fell on a jump, Toshiro lurched forward in bed, pulling back the covers automatically and one leg half way off the mattress before he realised there was nothing he could do. He wasn't there and this wasn't even live. Hours had now since past and it was easier to understand her text now. Whether she was busy with something else or not, she must have been so frustrated with herself and likely needed some time to process it all before she could even speak about it.

Her performance came to an end and Toshiro didn't miss the glare she sent to the ice, like it had betrayed her today. Still, she forced on a smile and wave to the audience, the replay cutting straight to her sitting at the Kiss and Cry awaiting scores, alone and looking it.

"Where is her coach?" Toshiro muttered to himself, frowning.

Had they had a fight? Was Byakuya even there?

The score was revealed and Rukia, despite the fall, had slotted into second place. Toshiro would have been thrilled if that was him, but he knew Rukia wouldn't have been too impressed; she had such high expectations of herself, but then again, Toshiro knew that the whole skating community probably held those expectations of her, not to mention her home country. It was a lot of pressure for one tiny woman to bear and Toshiro knew he would be greeting her with a big hug the next time he saw her, for the both of them.

The replay wound up, showing a few interviews with the Russians and a couple of the highlights but Toshiro turned away from it, letting what he had witnessed sink in.

When his phone vibrated suddenly, Toshiro perked up, thinking it was a new message from the Irish beauty in question, maybe one inviting him over.

It wasn't.

It was another text from Momo and Toshiro was already opening it before he could consciously stop himself.

** MomoHatesToshiroShiba, 14.01pm:**  
gossip/139592jk  
_I told u so._

The link she had attached was from a low life tabloid gossip website, and after a moment's hesitation, Toshiro opened it up to see an article headed with pictures of Rukia sitting at lunch with another man – a very smartly dressed blond man – with the headline 'Another Day, Another Conquest for Rukia Kuchiki'.

Toshiro felt his whole body still as he stared at it.

Stiff fingers began to scroll through the article as his muscles tightened, causing his back to ache more, and his thoughts ceased.

'_Rukia Kuchiki has been spotted today on a romantic lunch date following her short programme finals,' _the author had written, _'Looks like Toshiro Shiba is out and Blond Guy is in as our ice queen moves on. Hmmm, #RukiBlondGuy doesn't quite have the same ring to it.'_

The time and date of the article showed it to be published only twenty minutes ago, and it was already in his inbox.

A knock at the door broke Toshiro's thoughts for a moment but he ignored it, returning his focus back to the picture; the man was smirking and she was blushing, something Toshiro thought he was the only one making her do. That picture right there could have been taken of the two of them, that's how similar it looked, except that it wasn't him, it was some other guy.

The knock sounded again.

"Toshiro," Karin's voice called. "I know you're in there, I spoke to Dad."

So Rukia had been too busy to talk to him now. She was on a date.

His heart was plummeting as it slowly registered within him; Rukia was seeing someone else.

"For fuck's sake, Toshiro," Karin yelled, banging the door with her hand aggressively. "Let me in or so help me-"

Frustrated, Toshiro stalked over and ripped open the door.

"What, Karin?" he snapped, his phone hanging limply in his other hand. "Now isn't a good time."

"Too bad," Karin glared, slipping under his arm and making her way into the room.

Sighing, Toshiro shut the door and turned back to find her getting comfortable on Ichigo's bed.

"Dad said you had a fall today," Karin sent him a pointed look. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Now get out," Toshiro answered shortly; he just wanted to be alone so he could deal with this new Rukia development and let his heart crumble to ash in peace.

Karin looked completely taken aback by his tone and stared at him uncomprehendingly. Toshiro did not speak to his sisters that way, especially her, even when she was annoying the shit out of him. Gods he was being an asshole today, first to Rangiku, now to Karin.

"I'm sorry," Toshiro sighed, sinking back onto the edge of his mattress and closing his eyes, rubbing his fingers against his throbbing temple. "I'm having a bad day."

"Because of Mum," Karin murmured knowingly as she stood from Ichigo's bed and sat beside him instead.

"Not just that," Toshiro murmured, holding up his phone to Karin and showing her the gossip article (though not who had sent it to him).

"Cock sucking bitches!" Karin hissed, snatching the phone off him and glancing through the article.

"It's fine," Toshiro sighed, taking the phone back and locking it, tossing it on the bed somewhere, "Rukia and I haven't defined anything yet-"

"The hell you haven't," Karin muttered, "but that's not what I'm angry about. I was there, Toshiro, I promise you it wasn't what it looks like. I just can't believe that it's only been like half an hour and it's already online."

Well considering how quickly this morning's photos had been uploaded, Toshiro was not surprised. Obviously a lot of people had an interest in the #RukiShiro gossip.

"What do you mean 'it wasn't what it looked like'?" Toshiro frowned up at her. "You were there?"

"Yeah, Yuzu and I were walking through the restaurant and we saw them," Karin shrugged. "Apparently he was some sound guy she needed to get to change her music for the finals or some shit, I don't know, ask Yuzu for the specifics."

Mild relief eased Toshiro's mind; that checked out after what she had told him about changing her routine last minute without telling her coach, but the photo was still suggestive – he had made her blush and that was Toshiro's job!

"Yuzu recognised him as the sound guy?" Toshiro asked, wanting to know more about this mystery man with his blush-inducing charm; it might not have been a date but that didn't mean that maybe it could be one day.

"No, Rukia told her after I stormed off," Karin answered and then at Toshiro's questioning frown, she shrugged. "Well, I was shitty."

"You spoke to Rukia?" Toshiro asked, feeling a sense of dread pool in his stomach.

"Well we thought she was on a date…"

"Karin, please tell me you didn't…"

"Well I just asked," Karin straightened, becoming defensive and that was never a good sign.

"When you say 'asked'," Toshiro heard the alarm bells ringing in his mind, "you mean…"

"I just asked what the fuck she was doing on a date when she's dating you," Karin shrugged again with an air of nonchalance, "but then it turned out that the guy was gay and married so…"

"Karin!" Toshiro groaned, covering his eyes. "You confronted her?!"

The sound guy being gay and married was of major relief, but Toshiro didn't have time to dwell on that bit now. His troublemaking sister had confronted his not-his-girlfriend-yet-but-working-on-it-desperately girl!

"Of course I did," Karin snapped. "I wasn't gonna let another bitch fuck you around, no matter how hot she is."

Eyes bulging, Toshiro choked.

"I asked her what her intentions are with you," Karin continued, not even slightly remorseful. "She said she wanted to see where things go."

Gearing himself up to yell at the little menace, Toshiro paused at her words.

He frowned, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Karin snorted. "I thought it was some vague straight people bullshit. Yuzu reckons it means she's not seeing anyone else and won't see anyone unless you guys don't work out."

"Well we probably won't now," Toshiro sighed in exasperation, "you'll have scared her off."

"Oh please," she scoffed. "If Rukia can't handle me, she's fucked for handling everyone else in this bloody family."

"You make it sound like you're the easy one to get along with," Toshiro muttered dryly.

"I am to you," Karin rebutted quickly.

Well she had him there. Karin was his closest ally in the family, bar maybe their father. Rukia would need to get along with her if she was going to be a part of his life, but after today would she even want to be in his life?

"Look, I'm sorry for overstepping," Karin huffed, not seeming that sorry at all, "but after what Momo did, I'm not letting you get hurt again."

"It's not your job to protect me," Toshiro reminded her; he was the big brother here, not her.

"I just want you to be happy," Karin sighed, ignoring his last argument. "You said Rukia makes you happy and I want that for you, I really do, but I can't trust so easily this time. I've seen how attached you are to her already and…"

She trailed off and Toshiro knew exactly what she had just stopped herself for mentioning; Rukia's less than romantic history with men.

"I know," he murmured, looking down.

Sighing deeply, Toshiro felt around for his phone again and opened up his conversation with her.

'_Not good, talk later'_ it said, but would they talk later?

"If I stay in Germany, I need to know you'll be okay at home," Karin said softly. "I just – I love you, that's all."

"I love you too," Toshiro felt his lips twitch; it was amazing how Karin was so brutal and tough around everyone but gentle as anything with him in private.

"I really don't think I scared Rukia off," Karin continued. "She held her own pretty well, besides I think Yuzu apologised after I left."

"Let's hope so," Toshiro breathed, a small smile gracing his lips as pictured Rukia trying to stand up to Karin, both of them feisty short shits, though Karin was definitely the more aggressive of the two.

"Now come on," Karin crawled up his bed and moved the pillows around, sitting herself up against them and making herself comfortable. "Get your laptop, I want to watch last night's A-league game."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, but got his laptop nonetheless, returning to sit beside her as they found a good quality version of last night's A-league soccer game in Australia. It was a Melbourne team versing a Sydney team and that was always a good grudge match, even if Toshiro's mind was somewhere else.

In the last ten minutes of the game, when Melbourne City were smashing Sydney FC four to one, Toshiro's phone lit up with an incoming call.

_**Rukia is calling…**_

Toshiro's sat up immediately, a relieved and excited grin forming on his lips as he turned his ringing phone around to show Karin. His sister rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, but there was definite smug smirk on her face, and a touch of relief in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Toshiro answered the phone, "Rukia?"

"Hey," she answered, voice far happier than he was expecting. "Are you and Rangiku free tonight?"

"Rangiku and I?" Toshiro tilted his head questioningly, even though she couldn't see him. "I think so, why? Not going to ask for a threesome are you because it just aint my style."

It was worth trying to lighten the mood, right?

"And time for headphones…" Karin muttered behind him and Toshiro glanced over his shoulder to see her putting her headphones over her ears and plugging it into his laptop.

_Whoops_. He had forgotten she was there, to be honest, Rukia was just such a distraction; a distraction he most desperately needed after this hellish day.

Rukia thought he was funny even if Karin didn't, her delicate laugh filtering through the phone line and settling the last of his unease. She couldn't have been too mad about being confronted by Karin then.

"No, nothing like that," Rukia chuckled. "I just know that you two have had a hard day training and thought maybe you'd like to come with Gin and I to a private little hot tub party. Just the four of us, I've already got it reserved."

A double date in a hot tub? Well, now that certainly was Toshiro's style.

Hot tubs were relaxing and warm, perfect after his demon of a day and not bad on his injured back either.

"Oh," Toshiro felt his mood picking up already. "I'll ask Rangiku and let you know but that sounds amazing. I'll definitely be there!"

Rangiku would be there too, Toshiro was sure of it, her only other plans for the night were probably just to drink wine and call Gin anyway.

"Sounds good, Handsome," Rukia replied and Toshiro's heart skipped a beat – even after Karin's confrontation, he was still 'Handsome' to her.

"I'll let you know," Toshiro drawled, putting a bit of flirt into his voice. "See you then, Beautiful."

"Things all good then?" Karin asked as he hung up the phone.

"Yeah," Toshiro grinned at her to which she rolled her eyes and muttered about him 'going stupid around a pretty face'.

The soccer game finished up and she left, Toshiro following her out and heading on down to Rangiku's room.

It took zero convincing to get Rangiku on board for the hot tub, Toshiro had only mentioned Gin's name and she was bouncing around like mad lunatic. It had been funny to watch, so Toshiro took a video of her antics and sent it to Rukia as a sort of RSVP for both of them.

The Irish beauty had texted him the details and in no time at all, Rangiku had wrestled Toshiro into a pair of incredibly tight fitting boardshorts (she had packed them in her own suitcase) and they were on their way to the hot tub place. They were running a bit late, of course, no one travelling with Rangiku Matsumoto was ever on time, especially if she needed to decide between a bikini and a backless one-piece (bikini won out after a twenty minute deliberation).

On arrival, Toshiro spotted Rukia the second they entered the change room, his eyes locking on to her petite form immediately. An automatic grin broke put across his face, feeling the sickening dizzy feeling he had experienced all day recede just at the sight of her. _Gods she was so beautiful._

Without saying a word, Toshiro moved straight towards her, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. She fit against him so perfectly, his body moulding against hers with ease. His eyes fluttered closed as he held her, inhaling her scent and burying his nose into her hair.

_Oh yeah_, this was much better.

"Hello," Rangiku sung happily as she waltzed in behind him, all confidence and positive vibes. "How beautiful is it out there!"

Outside was beautiful; the hot tubs were lined up and separated by thin walls covered in fairy light the Swiss Alps providing the most stunning backdrop.

_It was beautiful in here too_, Toshiro thought to himself, tightening his arms around Rukia, the Irish beauty wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling into his chest. He'd had a bad day, she'd had a bad day; they both needed this desperately.

Toshiro smiled softly into her hair, already feeling his spirits rising.

"Hey Beautiful," he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I missed you today."

Behind him Rangiku was giggling, no doubt talking to Gin.

Sighing deeply, Rukia glanced up at him as she slid out of his arms.

"I believe some hot water and alcohol is calling our name?" She smirked up at him.

"It's definitely calling my name," Toshiro chuckled lightly.

Almost teasingly, Rukia removed her jumper and then her trousers and Toshiro's jaw dropped. His eyes swept over her small frame wrapped up in that sexy little bikini and he was pretty sure he had just died and gone to heaven, even if Rukia was definitely no angel. Her bikini was black and wrapped around her lithe frame, showing a healthy amount of cleavage before crossing down underneath her chest. The little bottoms were the smallest scrap of material tied together at her hips in cute, very alluring little bows.

"Fuck you're hot," Rangiku whistled lowly and when Toshiro glanced back at her, she was looking straight at Rukia, winking suggestively. Toshiro pursed his lips at that; Rangiku took the words right out of his mouth and he wasn't sure about how he felt about that, especially when Rukia repaid the compliment quickly.

"She's not wrong about that," Toshiro drawled, turning back to Rukia. He placed his hands on her waist and slid them down over hips, the little bows so flimsy under his fingers, one little tug and her bikini bottoms would fall away. The temptation was strong but he was very aware that they weren't alone.

"Do you like it, Gin?" Rangiku was asking and Toshiro glanced back to see her standing in her blue Roxy bikini, her clothes pooled at her feet, "It's new."

Shaking his head, Toshiro rolled his eyes.

Letting go of Rukia, Toshiro brought his hands to his belt, unbuckling it before hooking his fingers under the waistline and pulling his trousers down. He kicked them off and stepped out while he unzipped his jacket and tugged off the shirt underneath.

The sound that Rukia made when he dropped his trousers and revealed his boardshorts came from the back of her throat and had Toshiro's cheeks heating slightly, especially when she bit her lip, eyes focusing in on his groin.

He didn't need to look behind him again to know that Rangiku was shooting him an 'I told you so' smirk.

They were tight, really tight. Quiksilver boardshorts were generally rather snug and designed to be stretchy and manoeuvrable in the surf, that's why he owned so many, but these ones in particular were a little beyond 'snug'. He loved the colour, dark blue at the top fading down to light blue and then aqua, but they really showed off his _ass_ets, as Rangiku called them, more than he was generally comfortable with showing.

The strawberry blonde had been struggling to talk him into getting them in the first place but then Quiksilver had presented him with an argument he couldn't refuse: the shorts had been made with recycled plastic bottles found in the ocean and for every pair sold, a decent fraction of that money was donated to an ocean clean up charity.

"They're environmentally friendly," Toshiro found himself blurting out. "Ran made me wear them... for you."

She stared at him for a moment longer, eyes hungry before she snapped herself out of it.

"Okay let's go" Rukia mumbled before turning away, grabbing a bag of ping pong balls that he didn't notice when he came in, and walking outside, towards the hot tub.

Toshiro and Rangiku followed the Irish athletes to where they had set up a little bar area and Gin bounced over happily, icicle in hand. Toshiro pursed his lips seeing the other man in comfortable-looking Hawaiian shorts; why didn't Toshiro get to wear loose fitting pants too?

"What are the ping pong balls for?" Toshiro asked curiously. He knew a number of drinking games using the balls and had a feeling that was what Rukia and Gin had planned for them, especially given the amount of alcohol laid out on the bar.

"They float in the water an' we turn oan the jets," Gin explained with a mischievous grin. "Whoever is first tae be touched by yin has tae dae a forfeit. It was Rukia's game."

Rangiku giggled and nodded beside him and Toshiro had to purse his lips to stop the smirk that threatened to break out, knowing full well that she had only understood about half of what Gin had said. Even Toshiro had struggled with that one and he was far more accustomed to hearing the Scottish accent from his mother and her audiobook. Maybe it was just that her accent wasn't as strong, or that Gin's was too infused with Irish? Whatever the case, Toshiro nodded too and very generously decided not to out Rangiku as she and the silver hared man moved to the hot tub, climbing in.

Beside him, Rukia was pouring drinks, filling each cup liberally.

"Can you break up the icicle please?" she asked him, nodding to the large icicle Gin had snapped off for them.

"Of course," Toshiro murmured, picking up the thin frozen cone and beginning to snap it, plopping chunks of ice into each of the cups.

Rangiku and Gin were in the hot tub now, leaving Toshiro alone with Rukia and that uncomfortable feeling returned to his stomach, the image of Rukia on a 'date' with another man in his head, but Karin's words in his ear. Rukia hadn't mentioned it yet and he didn't know if doing so was going to make things worse or not, but she had been the one to call him and invite them to the hot tub with her and Gin. That said she was still interested in him, despite the confrontation with his sister.

"Karin told me," Toshiro cleared his throat, deciding to just bite the bullet and get it all sorted now, hoping they could move on from it, "uh that she saw you today and she… well, she used the word 'asked' but I know her and… uh, I'm just – just sorry, that she did that. She doesn't really know how to just _not_, you know?"

Wow, that was a perfectly articulate explanation. Gold medal for Toshiro, everyone could go home now, he'd won the games-

_Why the fuck was he such an idiot?_

"It's fine," Rukia replied, shrugging it off although her cheeks were dusting a light pink. "I guess I should have given you a heads up. Because Byakuya doesn't know what I'm planning to do with my free skate I needed Christophe on my side. But he's an ex figure skater himself, so I knew he'd need a bit of convincing that was all. I guess I never really thought much more of it."

Getting the sense that she wanted to be done with it, Toshiro let it go. He had caused her enough trouble today and he didn't want to be a further inconvenience. Sighing, Toshiro reached out for the drinks.

"Here, let me take these," he murmured, using both hands to pick up the three drinks that were obviously intended for the three snowboarders of the group, and turned towards the hot tub.

He had intended to walk straight over and hop in but stopped dead in his tracks when he was confronted with the sight of Rangiku and Gin sitting extremely close, looking down at each other's lips as they slowly leaned in. Toshiro's eyes bulged and almost dropped the drinks, his jaw dropping.

Gin was mere millimetres from Rangiku's lips when he suddenly pulled back, fear in his slanted eyes when he turned towards them. He looked more than happy to see them, standing so he could take two of the drinks out Toshiro's hand. Beside him Rukia seemed to focus on her best friend, moving over to whisper in his ear, but Toshiro was locking eyes with Rangiku. There was disappointment in those steely blue eyes and also insecurity. He hated that; Rangiku was the most confident person he knew and if she started to doubt herself then what hope was there for the rest of them?

She shrugged and looked away, Toshiro feeling his heart break a little for her. It was clear she really liked Gin, but the snowboard cross rider was apparently terrified of her. Although Toshiro supposed it was better that he was scared because it was the fearless men who usually hurt her. Still, there was a flash of hurt in Rangiku's eyes now too, so maybe he was wrong about that.

"So this game," Toshiro brought everyone's attention back as he climbed into the hot tub (since Gin and Rangiku apparently didn't need a private moment anymore), "the balls float around and if you get touched you have to do a dare as a forfeit?"

A dare like… having to kiss a certain someone, perhaps?

"Aye," Gin answered, turning back to Rukia. "Did yeh bring the balls?"

"We got four in the pool already," Rukia joked, smirking as she then reached for the packet of ping pong balls and dumped them into the hot tub. "Is there anything that is absolutely off limit to anyone?"

"Ah'm nae daein' skinny dippin' naked again," Gin replied with a glare.

"Fine," Rukia rolled her eyes. "No skinny dipping or nudity? Anything else? Before we get started?"

"I'm up for anything," Rangiku drawled, taking a long sip of her drink as she held Rukia's gaze, and noticeably avoiding Gin's.

"Me too," Toshiro shrugged, without his family around he could be himself and have a wild night if that was a vibe their Irish friends were going for, "but I would prefer if this didn't get back to my sisters."

He shot Rukia a pointed glare after all that teasing in the rink that day he brought Yuzu to see her. The Irish skater smirked back at him in a way that suggested she was definitely going to pass the gossip of the night onto the twins and Toshiro groaned internally. Karin he wasn't so worried about, the girl more than once seeing him in quite a state, but as far as he knew Yuzu had never seen him like that.

"All I ask is I'm not asked to consume anything other than the alcohol," was Rukia's condition and Toshiro nodded; that seemed fair.

"Everyone clear on the rules?" Rukia asked then. "Will we get started?"

Toshiro and Rangiku nodded and spread out a bit giving the balls a chance to travel. At the moment they were just floating in the one spot but he knew as soon as they turned on the jets it would be another story. Toshiro glanced around and found himself the closest to the buttons. Leaning over the rim of the hot tub, Toshiro pressed the one that had a symbol most resembling jet bubbles and hoped for the best. The jets came to life and bubbles erupted at the water's surface, sending the balls flying into action.

One of the balls shot instantly for Rukia who yelped and slid out of its path just in time. Gin however, was not so lucky, four balls going for him and two making contact very quickly.

"Fuck," Gin growled.

"You lose," Rukia laughed, even as Gin started to flick water at him

"It's no fair, yer much wee-er than ah am!" the silver haired man complained, obvious dread as he waited to hear what his forfeit dare would be.

"Stand outside the tub for five minutes," Rukia smirked like the little menace she was.

With a suffering groan, Gin climbed back out of the tub and walked over to wait by the balcony. Now Toshiro loved the cold, but knew that this would have felt like death after being in the hot tub, his body temperature would have been warmed and now he was being made to stand outside in literally freezing cold weather. Toshiro shrugged and took another sip of his drink; Gin probably deserved it after making Rangiku feel insecure by pulling away from that kiss. Still, Rangiku's eyes were drinking in the sight of the shirtless snowboard cross rider and Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"How long has it been?" he asked, teeth chattering.

"Three minutes," Rukia answered, checking her phone.

The next two minutes went quicker though, or maybe just quick for Toshiro who was now towards the bottom of his cup.

"Five minutes!" Rangiku called out excitedly, and the man came bounding back happily.

"Ready for round two?" Toshiro asked, finger hovering over the jets button again.

This game was hilarious; Toshiro chuckled as Gin the poor bugger lost a second time.

"YES!" Rukia cried out in triumph while Gin groaned, "Let's see you take a body shot off Rangiku then."

It was clearly something she had loaded up before Gin had even lost.

Rangiku's eyes lit up, the strawberry blonde did love a body shot, especially when someone was doing it off her.

After a bit of deliberation, she decided the best place for her to lie was across the rim of the tub.

"Bub, hold me up," she ordered Toshiro before turning back to Rukia, "set me up, Rukia."

Sighing, Toshiro pushed through the water towards them and steadied her on the tub's edge, holding her weight a little so she didn't fall off. Meanwhile Rukia hopped out of the tub, returning with the vodka bottle, pouring some into Rangiku's navel.

Rangiku stretched out, presenting herself, and her eyes flickered to Gin. She smirked and winked, "Well come on then."

Toshiro was glad to be positioned where he was, the protective nature in him resurfacing and ready to step in if necessary. He was sure Gin was a good guy, otherwise why would Rukia be friends with him, but Toshiro had seen too many 'good guys' take advantage of Rangiku before. He had little trust, even when Rangiku did – _especially _when Rangiku did. Over the years she'd had some horrific opinions on the kind of love and attention thought she deserved (AKA she thought it was okay for boyfriends to treat her like shit), and even though she had matured since then and come to respect herself more, Toshiro was still extremely untrusting of anyone she was interested in.

Gin's lips touched Rangiku's skin and Toshiro felt her gasp before he heard it. He looked down and Rangiku was staring at Gin, biting her lip, while he sucked the vodka out her navel. Her cheeks were flushed and she was just that little bit breathless. The silver haired man cleaned up the spilled vodka too, lips moving over the line of her hips and Toshiro winced as Rangiku gripped his arm tight. When Gin pulled back his cheeks were red and his eyes were glazed over, and Toshiro watched carefully as the man stepped away.

Respectful, and so he should be.

The white haired Australian helped Rangiku up while Gin moved over to Rukia.

"I am so turned on," Rangiku breathed, watching the man go.

"Don't tell me that," Toshiro groaned softly, frowning.

Rangiku giggled and turned back to face him, pinching his cheek gently.

"So protective," she chuckled before fixing him with a pointed stare. "Give Gin the benefit of the doubt. He's not very confident and I don't want you scaring him off."

Toshiro raised a knowing eyebrow, "Would I do that?"

"Yes," Rangiku answered instantly, "but don't. Bub, I really like him. Please."

Sighing, Toshiro rolled his eyes. He supposed Gin deserved at least one chance, but just one.

Before he could agree to anything, a loud burst of laughter erupted from the other side of the hot tub and the Australians turned around to fine Rukia beside herself with laughter while Gin hung over the edge of the pool looking extremely mortified.

"Yer the worst best friend," Gin complained while Rukia continued to laugh boisterously. "Honestly. I'm disowning you."

"Oh my god," Rukia gasped, crying with laughter and gripping the edge of the tub for support. "I'm so, so sorry."

'Sorry' she was saying and yet the evil cackle-like giggles said otherwise.

"Naw yer not, yeh fuckin' wee gremlin," Gin growled in response, putting a Scottish echo on Toshiro's thoughts.

That set Rukia off again, laughing even harder until she was almost blue in the face from a lack of oxygen. Toshiro found himself chuckling too, despite not knowing the context. Her laugh was just so beautiful and infectious, and a delightful reminder of the time they had laughed together post-sex; he had still been inside her as they laughed freely, naked and intertwined on the desk.

"What's so funny?" Rangiku asked, a giggle in her voice too although she was looking a little worriedly at Gin.

"Dinnae yeh dare," Gin hissed immediately to Rukia.

Ha. Good luck, Toshiro smirked at the silver haired man, knowing full well that asking Rukia not to tease you publically only resulted in her doing exactly that.

"We have to tell them," Rukia drawled, looking entirely satisfied with the situation. "Otherwise they'll know something is… _up_."

Toshiro and Rangiku exchanged a glance, both registering the obvious innuendo. So Gin was… hard, and that's why he was embarrassed?

"Yeh were'nae born eh this Earth," Gin spat back at his best friend. "Yeh were shot directly oot eh hell ah'm damn well sure eh it."

That only caused Rukia to giggle again.

"So," Rukia turned back to the Australian pair to explain. "You know how we've mentioned before that Renji likes a good prank? The sex toys in the airport, dumping the water over Ichigo?"

They nodded as Gin made one last pitiful plea for her to stop but all three of them ignored him.

"It seems Gin is his next victim," Rukia continued. "He gave me Kalms tablets for Gin for the next time he was meant to be hanging out with Rangiku, because he gets so nervous. I don't know if you have them in Oz but they're small blue pills and… well… let's just say they weren't Kalms."

Rangiku gasped, knowing instantly what Gin had really taken but Toshiro blinked dumbly, not connecting the dots straight away. He was focusing on the small blue pills detail, not able to think of any other medication that came that way, unless it was an illicit drug? He turned to Rangiku with a questioning look, hoping she would help him out, and her face was a mixture of disbelieving, humour and also… sadness?

"It was Viagra, Bub," Rangiku told him as she stared at Gin.

"Oh," Toshiro frowned, processing it for a second before his grin re-emerged and went smug, "well that explains why I didn't know what it wa-"

He was elbowed hard in the ribs by Rangiku and stumbled back with hiss.

"Fuck," he gasped, holding his side slinking away. Okay noted, Rangiku was heading to bad mood territory.

Toshiro figured he wouldn't feel too good about himself if the person he liked got so nervous around him that they felt like they needed to take medication just to talk to him. Still, Rangiku was not one to bring down the mood of a party and so she forced a chuckle out.

"Fucking Renji," she chuckled as she turned back to Gin. "Now you will just have to prank him back."

"I consider it full pay back for leaving me to sing on stage with Toshiro and forcing us together," Rukia said to Gin but her eyes were on Toshiro as he smirked back at her. "Karma is a bitch."

It had been horribly embarrassing but minutes later Rukia was sucking him off under the table so Toshiro couldn't really complain.

"I hate you," Gin muttered in response.

Rukia just smirked and handed him a drink.

"Get that down you and you won't even care," Rukia replied, unsympathetic. "Besides you can maybe get your own back in the next round."

The silver haired man drank the entire contents of his drink quickly and Rukia quickly filled up a fresh cup for him while Toshiro and Rangiku got back in position for the next game, Toshiro hovering by the switch for the jets, waiting for his cue. Beside him, Rangiku was looking a little disheartened as Gin didn't return to his previous spot closest to her but instead stayed at the furthest possible point away from her. Toshiro pursed his lips, hating seeing insecurity on her face. When he turned back to Rukia she was staring at him, thinking similar thoughts and he nodded, understanding; they would use this game to try and bring the couple closer.

Once everyone was ready, Toshiro turned the jets back on and Rukia, who had moved to Gin's old spot (officially the Bermuda Triangle of the hot tub), found herself the next victim of a forfeit, much to Gin's delight.

"Finally," Gin grinned wickedly.

Rukia looked confident though.

"Yeh have tae kiss Toshiro for five full minutes," Gin ordered quickly and Toshiro tilted his head, lips stretching into a wide smile.

Rukia might have lost the round but Toshiro had certainly won.

Gin picked up Rukia's phone, presumably to time the kiss, but paused, staring at her screen.

"Fuck," Rukia hissed, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she seemed to know what Gin was seeing on her phone and became embarrassed about it.

"Does wee Tosh know?" Gin teased, catching Toshiro's attention instantly as he stepped forward with interest, wanting to know what it was on her phone that involved him.

"I did it to piss off Byakuya," Rukia argued quickly but Gin laughed disbelievingly.

The snowboard cross rider called bullshit instantly, "No with the way yer blushin' yeh didnea."

He held the device up so that Rangiku and Toshiro could both see her lock screen as Rukia groaned and Toshiro's jaw dropped and even Rangiku whistled in low satisfaction. On her lock screen was a picture of him! One he had taken a few nights ago and sent to her; he was lying on his stomach in bed, face half buried in the pillow and grinning, mischief in his eyes as he was fully aware the top of his ass was just making it into the picture. It had been a subtle tease and he had been quite proud of it, and now seeing it as Rukia's background, well 'proud' wasn't covering it anymore.

He was smug.

Grinning stupidly, Toshiro bounced excitedly over to Rukia, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her flush against him, their hips connected underwater.

"Start timing," he told Gin quickly, before leaning in and capturing Rukia's lips, unable to remove the stupid smirk from his face.

They moulded together instantly and Rukia didn't waste much time before she was fighting him for dominance, her nails in his back and tongue in his mouth, but Toshiro fought back, not ready to give up his lead so quickly. He was on top of the world right now, higher than any mountain could ever take him.

His mother's record being broken? Maybe it wasn't such a massive deal; Toshiro wouldn't let her be forgotten.

That text from his ex? Momo_ Who?_

Rukia had him as her lock screen and was kissing him passionately in a hot tub, there was no one else in this world right now.

Her hands slipped into his hair and tugged, causing Toshiro to groan lowly, boardshorts tightening below the bubbling water. He didn't care if Gin and Rangiku were still watching and let his hands wander down Rukia's body, sliding over her wet skin. His fingers dipped below the water as they travelled over hips and down the side of her thighs. He let them slip under the wet fabric of her bikini bottoms and slip over her ass cheeks before squeezing and bringing her even closer to him; he wanted her to feel how much he wanted her again.

"Time," Gin's voice called, but it sounded so distant that Toshiro wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't imagining it.

Rukia pulled back, her fiery lips leaving his and leaving him in a daze.

"Far out," Toshiro breathed, voice much deeper than it should have been.

Before he could even get his thoughts back on track to remember where they were, Rukia was growling and pulling him in for a second round, even hotter and dirtier than before. Her hands were in his hair again and pulling so hard he thought he was going to find whole chunks ripped out later… That or he was going to come unexpectedly and he was betting on the latter. She was pressed right against him, he could feel every dip and curve of her body moulded into his.

Then a harsh cold broke through the suffering heat as ice was dropped between their bodies and Rukia leapt away with a yelp but Toshiro couldn't stop the low moan that tore from his throat, the temperature shock going straight to his groin. Breathing heavy, Toshiro had to put an arm out and grab the edge of the tub before he fell over, vision going white for a moment.

"Holy fuck," Rangiku's voice was much closer than he remembered and was full of shock. "Did you just come?!"

"No," Toshiro groaned quickly, splashing some water onto his face and running a hand through his hair; he hadn't but gods he'd been close in that moment, that kiss with the ice against the heat of the tub definitely did things to him.

"You got an ice play kink or something?" Rangiku asked with a laugh and when Toshiro neither answered nor laughed with her, staying guiltily silent, his best friend became taken aback. "Do you?"

Toshiro ignored her, straightening and turning back to Rukia, hoping the heat wasn't in his cheeks as much as it felt.

"Next round?" he asked but didn't wait for an answer, turning back on the jets.

"No way," Rukia called, leaping out of the way of a ping pong ball. "We need an answer!"

This round seemed to go on longer than the others, everyone up and moving, yelping and laughing as they avoided the fast moving ping pong balls. In the end it was Toshiro who became the next victim and the white haired Australian blamed Rukia, since it was her kiss that was leaving his mind slow and highly distracted.

"Tell us your kinks!" Rangiku yelled out, bouncing excitedly. "You have to now, you lost!"

Toshiro groaned and sunk quickly, crouching in the spa and letting his head be completely submerged under the water for a moment, as if that would make his dare disappear. Rangiku was having none of it though and pulled him back up to the surface.

"So we already know ice is one, right?" she was giggling as he brushed his wet hair out of his eyes. "And I know you're an ass and thighs man."

Sighing, Toshiro leaned back against the hot tub wall. The good news was at least his erection had gone away.

"Fine, ice is one," he admitted through a clenched jaw and gritted teeth, cheeks bright red,_ fuck he was going to regret this_, "and... I like my hair getting pulled, and uh… I like to, uh, s-spank a girl's ass."

The last one had been said very quietly but Rangiku had definitely heard it if the Cheshire cat grin on her face was anything to go by. Toshiro exhaled deeply and looked away, closing his eyes.

"I knew you were spanker!" Rangiku laughed. "Yukio owes me fifty bucks now."

They had bet money on him being a spanker? That was a frightening thought.

"That's all my-that's it," Toshiro shook his head, humiliated and conscious that Rukia, the exact person currently sleeping with him, was watching intently, "they're all very light and vanilla. I'm not into anything weird."

He was just about ready to be moving on again so someone else could be embarrassed. It seemed like it was Rangiku's time to him.

"So he says," Rukia drawled with a smirk.

"Whit dae yeh mean?" Gin asked her as Rukia hoisted herself up to sit on the edge of the tub and Toshiro's eyes were drawn straight to the marks he had left on her thighs. She must have put makeup or something over them because they hadn't been visible before but now they were very obvious.

"He likes eating women," Rukia answered with a sly grin and Gin immediately laughed, surprising Toshiro.

"Yeah but that's not really a kink, right?" Toshiro frowned, turning to Rangiku for clarification, the strawberry blonde looking all too pleasant surprised by this newest revelation. "Don't all men do that?"

He knew Yukio liked to go down on women, they had discussed it at length and it was the reason Toshiro had thought to try it the first time.

"Nah, Bub," Rangiku smiled at him. "Many men don't want their tongues anywhere near there. It's a shame really."

She had turned back to Gin as she said it, not making any gestures or facial expressions to actually suggest anything but Toshiro could read the subtle message she was sending out there.

"Ah agree, it's a shame," Gin agreed even though he seemed oblivious to Rangiku's hint. "Maist women really enjoy it, at least the yins ah've been with have."

"Yeah but there's going down on a girl, then there's trying to eat her thighs Toshiro," Rukia smirked, nodding down at her marked legs. "How many other women do you see walking around, their thighs looking like that?"

Toshiro tilted his head; well, after a night with him, very often, but he followed winter around the globe and lived and trained on the mountains where everyone wore long pants, so bites on legs were never seen because bare legs were never seen. Every girl he had ever slept with since discovering this apparent 'kink' of his had been more than happy for him to do that too them.

"Like yeh did'nae enjoy it," Gin muttered as Rukia slipped back into the water with a wide smirk.

They were gearing up for another round and Toshiro moved through the water, back to the control panel.

"Maybe I just have a Rukia kink?" Toshiro suggested, tilting his head innocently but left no room for response as he turned on the jets again and sent the ping pong balls into action.

Rangiku was hit quickly, obviously not yet ready for the next round and Toshiro almost died of happiness.

"Right," he cracked his knuckles, ready to get some revenge. "Rangiku, you have to kiss someone in this hot tub… but it can't be me."

_Generous_, that's what Toshiro believed he was, giving her an option that would leave them both winners either way. She couldn't kiss him, which would have been the safest option as they were friends and had kissed before, which left a choice of Gin or Rukia. If she picked Gin, well that was that problem solved and Toshiro wouldn't have to look at her hurt and insecure face any longer. Hell he'd be a hero to all the GinRan shippers out there, not to mention the couple themselves, and Rangiku would finally have her man. If she went the other way and chose Rukia, either to spite him or catch Gin's attention, Toshiro honestly wouldn't be mad. Two girls kissing in front of him? _Hot_. Also, it might even catch Gin's attention, either making him _jealous_ enough to do something about it, or _horny_ enough to do something about it.

The strawberry blonde narrowed her eyes at him as she considered her options, clearly torn over feelings versus strategy.

"Rukia then," she seemed to decide eventually and Toshiro grinned, turning to Rukia with a raised eyebrow, seeing if she was going to participate or pull out.

Rukia looked surprised at first but she instantly rose to the plate, meeting Rangiku as the strawberry blonde leaned down to meet her lips. Toshiro just about choked watching it, especially since they jumped straight to using their tongues and Rukia wrapped her arms around Rangiku's neck, pulling them closer.

_Holy shit._ Toshiro watched through wide eyes. He should maybe have been concerned that the girls were getting so into it but he couldn't bring himself to care in that moment – it was just so fucking hot.

Across from him, Gin was staring at the scene too, with a dropped jaw and wide eyes.

"Might be the best damn kiss I've ever had," Rukia announced when the girls broke away from each other, sending Toshiro a pointed look.

The snowboarder could only grin back, knowing full well he was being teased.

"Are you sure about that?" he tilted his head, a small sly smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe you want to kiss me again to check?"

Rukia waltzed towards him, eyes flicking to his lips and Toshiro mentally prepared for the kiss that would surely come. Instead, Rukia reached past him and started the jets, launching them all into another round. The three snowboarders hadn't been expecting it and yelped quickly to jump out of the path of oncoming ping pong balls.

At one point, Toshiro and Rukia had been very close to being hit and Toshiro was torn over trying to protect Rukia or use her as a human shield. In the end, he never got to make the choice, Rukia getting hit by a ball that neither of them had seen shooting out from the side.

"Oh," Rangiku clapped excitedly. "Rukia, how big is Toshiro's dick really?"

"What?!" Toshiro hissed at his best friend. "You can't ask her to tell you that?"

Why, oh _why_ was he friends with this woman?

"Oh I'm not asking her to _tell _us anything," Rangiku smirked. "I don't want her to use words at all."

The strawberry blonde turned to Rukia expectantly and waited for a response while Toshiro turned to her and begged through pleading eyes. _Please don't_.

As usual, Rukia was without mercy. That little witch.

Watching through horrified eyes as Rukia brought her hands up to gesture his length, Toshiro's cheeks were flaming red. She then used her hand to show off his girth, the whole reason he needed to use Magnum condoms in the first place. Rangiku nodded, unsurprised but satisfied with the information.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," Gin gasped and Toshiro wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed or smug, but he was definitely leaning towards the former.

"Next round," Toshiro announced quickly, hastily pressed the jets button and jumped out of the way of speeding ping pong balls. Maybe he could get through one round without being humiliated.

Thankfully it was Gin who was next in line for the humiliation throne.

"Tell us your biggest celebrity crush and why," Rukia demanded with a knowing grin.

"Ginger spice fae the spice girls," he growled as Toshiro raised an eyebrow, not expecting the answer at all. Beside him, Rangiku had stilled and her gaze was burning into Gin, even though he seemed to be looking decidedly away from her.

"Why?" Rukia prodded, despite the glare her best friend was sending her.

"Because she's got strawberry blonde hair," he mumbled, clearly embarrassed.

Toshiro and Rangiku exchanged a glance of knowing satisfaction. Rangiku had strawberry blonde hair and was often compared physically to Geri Halliwell…

"So you're saying you have a thing for gingers?" Rukia continued, making sure they all knew the implications of Gin's confession.

"Aye," the silver haired man sighed, defeated by a tiny little ice skater, "ah have."

Rangiku's grin was the widest Toshiro had ever seen it at this revelation.

"I know another ginger who's pretty awesome too," Rukia interjected quickly. "Do you have a crush on her too-"

"Next round!" Gin snapped, turning to Toshiro who was still the closest to the jets switch.

"Hold on," Rangiku called out, stopping Toshiro as his finger hovered across the button, before she turned back to Gin. She walked towards him and bent over, exposing her breasts and popping her face into his personal space, the snowboard cross rider leaning back instantly, "Do you think I look like Ginger Spice?"

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro stepped away from the control panel, reaching for his drink and finishing it off, before topping it up again and turning to watch Rangiku make a poor Scottish man's life just that fraction more difficult. _Oh well_, better Gin than him.

"Naw," Gin mumbled shyly, "yer even prettier."

Straightening back up, Rangiku turned back to Toshiro with a highly satisfied and delighted grin.

"Next round," she chuckled and Toshiro felt himself smiling softly at her, seeing the genuine happiness starting to rise back out of her, like it should always be.

Finishing off his new drink quickly, Toshiro moved back over to the jets and pressed the button.

The alcohol was going to his head very quickly now and he honestly didn't think he was going to be able to move out of the way very speedily if a ping pong ball came his way but fortunately for him Rangiku got hit, and she hadn't even attempted to move.

"Rangiku," Rukia smirked as she put down her empty cup. "You have to sit in Gin's lap for the rest of our time in the hot tub."

Rangiku was delighted, but Gin looked horrified.

"But-" Gin tried to argue.

"Don't worry Gin, we've not forgotten," Rukia grinned and it took Toshiro, who had forgotten, a moment to remember to whole Kalms/Viagra issue.

Still, it didn't faze Rangiku at all as the strawberry blonde moved over to the silver haired man and sat herself down on his lap. They moved to adjust it better but soon Rangiku looked entirely comfortable and she was grinning up at Gin.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Aye," he said, his arms winding around her and holding her to him securely. "This is fine."

Well this seemed like the end of the game to Toshiro, thank heavens because he was definitely getting tipsy now. He moved away from the control panel and closer to Rukia, topping up his drink and taking a seat opposite Gin and Rangiku. He glanced up at Rukia with a hopeful grin and held out his arms for her to join him. She did with an eye roll, climbing into Toshiro's lap as his arms wound around her lithe frame, holding her protectively.

"I'm really glad we did this," she sighed, tiredness evident in her voice.

Toshiro hummed softly in agreement. He brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it loosely behind her ear as he kissed her crown gently. This felt right, Rukia in his arms, Toshiro felt the stress of the day bubbling at the back of his mind now that silence overtook the group and the adrenalin of the game wore off. He nuzzled his nose into Rukia's hair and inhaled her scent, letting it dull the thoughts in the back of his mind.

Across from him, Rangiku was looking entirely comfortable with Gin, her eyes closed and head resting against his neck. Toshiro was beginning to trust Gin a little more after this evening but still he would keep an eye on him. Rangiku was sleepy and probably a little drunk, in the perfect state to be taken advantage of and Toshiro refused to let that happen to her, not under his watch.

It was very clear after a few more minutes of silence that Toshiro and Gin's girls were both asleep.

An awkward moment passed over the two males, both of them realising they had never been alone together before, they had never even had a conversation, not really. They were also both holding each other's best friends in their arms and that seemed to be opener for Gin to start.

"Yeh better take care eh her," Gin said pointedly, nodding at Rukia's lithe form curling around Toshiro. "She's been dealt enough shite cards in her life."

"I know," Toshiro replied softly and smiled sadly down into Rukia's peaceful face, "and I will take care of her, for as long as she will let me."

Not looking back up at Gin, Toshiro readjusted his hold on the Irish skater until she was lying down further in his arms – but still safely above the water – her head in the nook of his elbow, right where his snowflake tattoo was, just as he had once laid in his mother's arms. That arm of his that was under her head supported her body across his lap while the other free hand came up to brush the hair out of her eyes before his thumb began to stroke softly across her cheek. She looked so content.

"Ah never seen her look so peaceful," Gin commented again, seemingly accepting Toshiro's first answer,."Ah think she's startin' tae realise yer different tae the other guys."

'The other guys' being Rukia's past conquests. Toshiro was striving to be different for her; he wanted to be someone she could let herself go around, someone she could open up to, someone she was happy to see at the end of the day, someone she could curl up around and feel contented enough to sleep. Gin's words were reassuring that Toshiro was on his way there, but he knew he still had further to go.

Exhaling, Toshiro pressed a soft kiss to the tip of her nose, Rukia wrinkling it in response and murmuring incoherently as she tried to curl further into him. He felt his heart melt as he looked at her; _yeah,_ he was going to keep fighting to be different to her.

"You better take care of her," Toshiro turned the tables back on Gin, reminding him that Toshiro wasn't the only one with a special woman in his arms.

"Ah will treat her like ah queen," Gin told him firmly.

"Good," Toshiro replied quickly, "because she's not a sex toy and I've seen her be used and abused too many times by men in the past."

"Anno," Gin sighed, looking down at Rangiku with an expression that was somewhere between sadness and fury, leaving Toshiro to wonder exactly what they might have spoken about on the phone over the last few days. "Ah wouldnae treat her tha' way."

Eyes narrowing, Toshiro observed Gin for a moment and the way he held onto Rangiku. His hands were still where Toshiro could see them, around her waist and just above her knee as she had consented to before she had fallen asleep. Maybe Gin really was a good guy.

"Try not to be so nervous around her," Toshiro sighed, deciding to cut the guy some slack and offer a bit of advice. "I know she can be intimidating and she acts like a diva most of the time, but she's far from that. She is the most genuine and beautiful person I know, and she just wants someone to take the time to get to know her."

Gin eyes stayed focused on the woman in his arms as he appeared to become thoughtful for a moment. Toshiro knew exactly how intimidating Rangiku could seem, and he would be lying if he said Rukia hadn't made him feel the same way at first. The difference was that Toshiro and Rukia had gotten to know each other, firstly physically, and then more emotionally during the times they had both opened up. Sure, Rukia was still a majorly successful and stunning ice skater but it didn't scare Toshiro or make him feel so inferior anymore; at the end of the day, Rukia was a human being and so was he. They both wanted intimacy, albeit different versions of it, and that made her more genuine through his eyes.

"Anno ah shouldnae put her on ah pedastool," Gin murmured after a moment, "but every time ah think ah might be worth it... There's this wee voice in the back eh ah head reminding me ah' v nothing ah could offer her. It's mah own battle ah know, but the doubt is still there."

"I know what you mean," Toshiro muttered under his breath, Momo's words echoing in the back of his mind.

The conversation after that turned away from the girls, the boys discussing safer topics like the Olympics, snowboarding and skateboarding. They even talked about Scotland; Toshiro's connection to the country through his mother and the few times he had visited, Gin speaking about his father and his life there before moving to Ireland. As it turned out, Masaki and Gin had grown up in neighbouring towns, even though Masaki was living in Australia by the time Gin was born.

Eventually it came time to leave as a staff member approached to inform them the business would be closing in fifteen minutes. Toshiro would have much preferred to stay though; he would have stayed all night there if he could. The warm water around him, the gorgeous woman in his arms, the friends close by; when Toshiro got back to his room there would be nothing but loneliness, and his mind would surely begin to wander in dangerous ways.

Alas their time was up.

Gin woke Rangiku gently by stroking her hair and calling her name softly. Rangiku stirred awake and Gin placed her down on the seat where he had been sitting as he stood, making her promise to stay under the warm water while he jumped out and got her towel. He was about to get out when Rangiku pulled him back, mumbling 'not yet', and Gin seemed to relent for a moment, returning to her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Alright, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured down to Rukia, squeezing her softly. "It's time to wake up."

He kissed her crown and then her forehead, calling her name. She seemed to murmur and tilt her head away so Toshiro kissed her temple and then down to her cheek, calling her name a few more times with a quiet chuckle.

Readjusting her body, Toshiro brought her back up against his chest so he could reach her better. This time he pressed a kiss to her slightly parted lips and held it until he felt stir to life. When he pulled back he was met with large violet eyes which were foggy with sleep.

"Welcome back," he grinned down at her as she groaned, her body starting to wake up.

"Hullo," she mumbled, turning her face back into his chest and seemingly deciding she wasn't ready to get out of his arms yet.

"No," Toshiro chuckled, smiling at how comfortable she seemed in his arms. "You were doing so well before, don't fall asleep on me again."

Though he desperately wanted her to.

The sound of water sloshing meant Gin had finally convinced Rangiku to let him go grab the towels and that seemed to spur Rukia awake a little more.

"I'm up," Rukia huffed, sitting up in Toshiro's lap and stretching herself.

Not letting her go until he was sure she was conscious enough to keep her head above the water, Rukia slipped off his lap and Toshiro's attentive gaze turned back on Rangiku who appeared to be nodding off again; fortunately she was resting her head against the edge of the tub but Toshiro was ready to move and catch her if she started to slip down.

"Ah have yer towels," Gin said, appearing beside them and dropping their towels off before returning back to Rangiku.

Toshiro didn't take his eyes off the strawberry blonde until she was awake again, climbing out of the tub and into Gin's outstretched arms, the silver haired snowboarder wrapping Rangiku up in her towel as she hugged him.

Deciding she was safe, Toshiro climbed out of the tub too and held Rukia's towel up for her. She rolled her eyes but joined him with a smile. Cocooning her in her towel, Toshiro hugged Rukia close, trying to keep them both warm. He was worried he had hurt or annoyed her when she suddenly twisted out of his grasp but fortunately she had just stepped away to open her towel up for him, inviting him inside.

That was a very affectionate and dare he say cute gesture. That wasn't something someone did with a fuck buddy, that was something someone did with a boyfriend.

"I just wanted your abs in here with me," Rukia murmured sarcastically, causing Toshiro to laugh into her hair.

"You keep telling yourself that," he grinned smugly; from this hug, her arms were around his back and her face pressed into his collarbone – his abs were lost deep down and she wasn't paying them any special attention.

Reaching down, Toshiro picked Rukia up, her body instantly reacting to him as her legs locked around his waist. Carrying her into the changing area and ignoring Gin's bare butt as he changed in the corner with his back to them (Rangiku must have been in the cubicle), Toshiro popped Rukia down on the bench before dashing back to the tub to grab his own towel.

Returning, Toshiro stood in front of Rukia, blocking Gin's line of sight if he turned around.

"He's seen me naked before," Rukia told him with an eye roll, causing Toshiro to frown as he held his towel up around Rukia like a changing partition anyway. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Really?"

"Humour me," Toshiro sighed, looking away. "Please."

Humour him she did, thankfully, as he heard the sound of her changing, the sound of her bikini hitting falling to the tiles with a wet slap. It was hard to concentrate elsewhere when he knew Rukia Kuchiki was wet and naked beside him but Toshiro forced himself to focus on the mountains in the distance, their snow covered pistes not too dissimilar to the shade of Rukia's porcelain skin.

Suddenly her lips were on his throat, kissing gently.

Swallowing and feeling her teeth against his skin, Toshiro frowned a little, "What are you…"

He trailed off when she began to suck at this neck and swallowed again, her lips so hot and good against him. Tilting his head, he gave her more access.

"Rukia," he groaned when she pulled back for a moment and turned to find her capturing his lips instead.

Her arms came around him and he wanted to hold her too except that his arms were occupied trying to hold up the towel around her, especially now since she was completely topless. Now knowing his little kinks, Toshiro knew what she was about to do as her hand slipped into his hair and pulled, eliciting a low moan from him.

"You two better not be shaggin'," Gin complained from the other side of the room, but Toshiro and Rukia ignored him, favouring kissing instead.

"Are they?" Rangiku asked, calling out from her cubicle.

"Ah aint turnin' around tae find oot," Gin answered with a hint of frustration.

Glad they still had their peace, Toshiro and Rukia's kiss began to heat up. He couldn't help but grin into the kiss, feeling her smile against him as they exchanged tongues. She pressed her body into him, the towel between them the only thing stopping Toshiro from feeling her bare nipples against his naked chest.

"Give me a second and I'll come out and see," Rangiku announced excitedly, causing Toshiro groan and pull back; why did she have to be here?

Fine, he couldn't kiss Rukia anymore but he was too turned on to look away as she changed. It seemed to be what Rukia had been after all along as she held his gaze and pulled the bows on her hips, the fabric falling off her instantly. It was complete and utter torture, Toshiro decided as he clenched his jaw and allowed his eyes to sweep over her naked form, even more so when she turned around and bent over, presenting him with her ass. Toshiro was almost trembling with the desire to touch her as she dried herself off with her towel, apparently unconcerned with how close he was to snapping and pinning her against the closest wall, his shorts becoming incredibly tight.

"Aww, they're not having sex," Rangiku groaned behind them, now outside her cubicle and disappointed by the lack of live porn she had been expecting.

Toshiro tossed her a glare to which she only giggled in response.

"So it's safe taw turn around?" Gin asked hopefully and Toshiro stepped closer to Rukia automatically, lifting the towel a fraction higher to ensure she was covered.

Rukia rolled her eyes at him but changed regardless and eventually she was covered enough that Toshiro could drop the towel.

"Do you want me to protect your modesty too?" Rukia smirked at him and it became Toshiro's turn to roll his eyes.

Ignoring Gin and Rangiku behind him, Toshiro dropped his boardshorts quickly and pulled on his clothes again. He finished with his beanie, pulling the yellow atrocity that had really grown on him over his damp white spikes. When he looked up, Rukia was looking at him with pursed lips.

"What?" he frowned.

"Nothing," she answered vaguely before turning to Gin who had left and returned with all the ping pong balls, cups and left over alcohol.

They packed everything up and when they were ready, left as a group, walking mostly in comfortable silence back to the village. Everyone was lethargic, tired from a long day of training and competing, not to mention drinking and embarrassing themselves in front of everyone.

"I think I'll sleep like the dead tonight," Rangiku murmured between yawns as they reached the village.

"Yeah the hot water really knocks it out of you, doesn't it?" Rukia mumbled tiredly back.

Toshiro nodded, wrapping his arm around her and bringing her into him as they walked towards their hotels. They reached the point where they would have to separate and Toshiro knew that he would be heading back to his own hotel with Rangiku, since it didn't look like Gin was about to invite her back and the strawberry blonde was likely still holding off herself.

Turning back to Rukia, Toshiro gave Rangiku a moment to say good bye to Gin and himself a private moment to farewell Rukia.

"No teasing me this time," Toshiro joked as she gazed up at him.

"Me? Tease you?" Rukia scoffed in mock innocence. "As if I'd ever do that."

She was the devil incarnate, this one. Laughing, Toshiro closed the gap and kissed her, this time far more gentle and chaste than the kiss in the change rooms.

"Sleep well?" Toshiro murmured, pulling back and stepping away.

They turned to find Rangiku in the middle of a sweet embrace, the silver haired man whispering in her ear before he kissed her forehead. The grin Rangiku was sporting when she turned back to him was one of pure teenage crush and Toshiro rolled his eyes as she returned to him. They waved goodbye as Rukia and Gin did the same, both groups turning and heading towards their respective hotels.

"Oh my goodness, I can't stop smiling," Rangiku chuckled to herself as they entered the lobby. "He's so sweet and cute."

"If you say so," Toshiro muttered but internally, he was smiling for her too. He hadn't seen her like this before with any guy, and after tonight, Toshiro did have to – somewhat grudgingly – admit that Gin was perhaps the right man for her.

They returned to the rooms. Once again, Ichigo and Renji were occupying Toshiro's room and the white haired snowboarder was forced to bunk with his best friend and god mother. Yoruichi was out late again and Rangiku was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Gin's name was on her lips as she sighed contently and rolled over, leaving Toshiro alone with his thoughts.

The high of seeing Rukia left him smiling softly at the ceiling for a few minutes but it soon began to wear off. Rangiku was asleep and Toshiro glanced around the room – he was alone. Even his best friend's warmth beside him started to feel cold as his mind went over the day.

His mother's record being broken. The way he had snapped at Rangiku for being late. His abysmal training session. Every trick messed up. The disappointment in Isshin's eyes. The overwhelming sense that he was losing his battle against Rukia's lust, even despite her actions that night.

He started to only see the negatives, which brought him back to Momo's most recent message.

He couldn't sleep, and while he waited, Toshiro – despite his mind screaming at him to stop himself – opened back up that text from Momo, reading it over and starting to break it down.

Despite the atrocious spelling and grammar, Momo made many valid points.

'_ur 2 fucked 2 realise that the only person who loves u is me' – _He _was_ too fucked to realise that she was the only person who really loved him, even if that love was crazy, obsessive and borderline psychotic. It was the cold, hard truth and the rest of her message proved it.

'_Ur real parents didn't love u so they threw u away like garbage'_ – well yes. Harsh again, but undeniably true. That statement hurt the least though, because in his eyes, his 'real' parents weren't his _real_ parents. His 'real' mother, with her white hair and teal eyes, was not his _real_ mother. His real mother was dead, not working a waitress in Canberra.

'_Isshin will never love u like he loves his REAL kids' _– this was… too much. Toshiro couldn't even look at that sentence without feeling time slow and every fear he had ever had coming to life. There was nothing in the world that could cause him more anxiety than that thought, because as much as he wished it weren't true, he knew that it was. Of course it was; how could Isshin honestly say he loved Toshiro, some adopted son he hadn't even planned on, the same amount that he loved his daughters who were his flesh and blood and the last living connection to his late wife? _Gods it hurt._ Toshiro blinked back some painful tears that had sprung and moved on – he was not able to think on that any longer.

He had to look away for a moment, focusing in on Rangiku's sleeping form and her deep even breaths she took but then returned to the message, continuing what was likely a very self-destructive activity. He couldn't stop himself.

'_Even ur siblings hate u!' _– nothing scared him more that the thought that this could be true. He didn't know if this was true but prayed to every god ever that it wasn't. Sure, Ichigo couldn't stand him, but _hate_? _Maybe he did_, Toshiro deflated, slowly thinking over his recent interactions with the tall strawberry. Yuzu, he was sure wasn't capable of hating anyone, being that 'hate' was such a powerfully negative feeling. However, it was true that she didn't seem to care either way if he was in her life or not, unless of course he could bring Rukia, her skating hero, to the table. Karin didn't hate him, Toshiro had never been surer of anything, but when Momo had suggested that Karin might have moved to Germany to specifically get away from him, well now that was something Toshiro had a bad feeling was true; he had been so clingy with her when all she wanted was space and independence.

'_Rukia won't ever love u bak because u will never b anythin more than a good fuck 4 her'_ – Momo had already said this several times, rephrasing it each time to see if it would hurt him differently. Well every time had hurt him. This was another thing he was unsure about but terrified it could be true. Each time Toshiro spent time with Rukia in person, he was so sure she wanted him for something more than sex, but when he was alone his thoughts did evil things, twisting and turning inside him, driving him slowly mad. If it was true that Rukia was just in it for his 'thick cock' as she called it, then Toshiro knew he was going to have his heartbroken. It was entirely his fault for getting attached like he had sworn not too, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

_It all hurt so fucking much._

His eyes stung and he became desperate for another distraction but Rangiku's face wasn't cutting it anymore. Fortunately it was at that moment that a beep sounded as the door was unlocked and in walked Yoruichi.

"Hey Tosh," Yoruichi grinned as she entered the room. "Did my athlete kick you out of your room again?"

"Yeah," Toshiro nodded, turning back to his phone so it obstructed the view of his face. "He's still celebrating."

"That's my god son," Yoruichi chuckled, moving around the room as she got ready for bed while Toshiro kept staring at his phone, the message burning new holes into him with every read.

The purple haired woman asked about their evening and Toshiro told her about the hot tub. It was an exciting and hilarious evening but Toshiro couldn't muster the energy for it, giving a very toneless and short delivery.

"Is everything okay with you?" Yoruichi asked softly as she sat on the edge of her bed, eyes concerned in a way that had Toshiro looking away.

He stared at his phone, the device vibrating in his hands until he realised it was him who was trembling, not the phone. He put it shakily down on the bedside table and rolled onto his back, it aching slightly after the hot tub evening.

"Toshiro?" Yoruichi called again and the snowboarder looked at her, considering her for a moment.

Yoruichi was family but she had always been closer with Ichigo, even before she started training him. It was likely because, even through all the years that Ichigo was acting out and pushing people away, Yoruichi – their mother's best friend – was able to slip through the cracks in those strawberry walls. To Ichigo, it had been all too easy to blame Isshin for Masaki's death and therefore the whole Shiba side of the family, explaining why he was never as attached to Karin as he was to Yuzu. Yoruichi then was immune to his spite and became the cool god mother he could speak too, the one person from his mother's life that wasn't a Shiba. She had helped Ichigo get much of his anger out through skiing, something he was actually interested in doing to feel closer to their mother.

"Does Ichigo hate me?" Toshiro asked eventually, voice small.

"What?" Yoruichi asked, eyes going wide at the question.

Toshiro shrugged, "You know him better than anyone."

"Yeah but-"

"Well then you would know," Toshiro commented thickly, turning away to stare up at the plain white ceiling. "So does he hate me or not?"

"No, he doesn't hate you," Yoruichi answered, her voice stressed and her eyes boring into the side of his face. "How could you think that?"

_How could he think that?_ Ichigo hadn't spoken to him in four days. Their relationship had been rocky for nineteen years. He never, not once, came to watch Toshiro's events unless forced by their father. Ichigo would roll his eyes and mutter every time Toshiro did something good, like winning at gold at the X Games. Toshiro couldn't even roll over in bed at night without being snapped at, like any movement he made to suggest he was still alive was another annoyance to Ichigo. Toshiro knew that if he died tomorrow, Ichigo wouldn't even notice, let alone care.

_But how could he think that?_

Another shrug was all the answer Yoruichi got from him as Toshiro rolled away from her, pressing his face into Rangiku's back and clenching his eyes shut.

"He loves you, Toshiro," Yoruichi told him gently. "You're his baby brother."

Toshiro didn't reply. He didn't even move.

He didn't believe her. However, he did believe that maybe she believed she was right, but she didn't know the truth. Ichigo wouldn't have talked to her about him, he didn't care enough for that.

Eventually Yoruichi gave up with a sigh, slipping into bed and turning off the lamp. Only when the room was plunged into darkness did Toshiro open his eyes back up.

He didn't sleep that night, the barely literate words of Momo's text swirling around his brain, Rukia's brightening influence forgotten for a moment.

Ichigo hated him. Yuzu didn't care. Karin preferred her space.

Isshin could never love him like he loved the girls.

Rukia would never love him either.

No one would.

Well, except maybe Momo.

…

** Toshiupdates**  
_Rukia has been seen on a date with another man? How could anyone be better than our sexi Tosh! (angry face)_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_I can't believe this! __** RukiKuchi**__ you done messed up!_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_WHAT?! NOOOOO! (crying) How did this happen?!_

** MomoHatesToshiroShiba**  
_Probs cos he jus a good fuck 4 her but now hes not even that good #karmasabitch_

** Toshiupdates**  
_^^ lol this bitch again. __** Aussie_skigirl**__ remember her? She's got a new username (crying laughter)_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_** MomoHatesToshiroShiba**__ oh honey, move the fuck on! #getalife_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_Bring back #RukiShiro!_

...

**If you liked this chapter or are enjoying the story, please let me know in a review below! It fills me with the happies ^.^**

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	8. The Gym

Sleep didn't come easy, in fact it barely came at all.

Toshiro rolled out of Rangiku's bed at six o'clock precisely, deciding that was a reasonable time to be up and walking around. It was when the canteen opened for breakfast anyway, so Toshiro went down. Ichigo and Renji were still occupying his bedroom so he had to go in yesterday's clothes, but there was nobody in the canteen to spot him anyway.

Grabbing himself some yogurt and muesli and an _extra_ strong coffee, Toshiro sat and ate his breakfast in peace. He had his phone in his pocket but refused to look at the device, not wanting to see Momo's hurtful message again. Instead, the young snowboarder stared out the window, eyes focusing on the distant mountains and how beautiful they were, all covered in soft, dazzling snow.

"You're up early," a voice called, hoarse with sleep, and Toshiro glanced up to see his aunt collapsing into a chair opposite him, coffee in hand.

Toshiro shrugged, stirring the muesli around his bowl aimlessly.

"Renji is in my room," he answered, "and Rangiku's body heat is too much."

Kukaku chuckled, shooting him a knowing look as she took a lengthy sip of her coffee.

"You're up early," Toshiro stated back at her, mirroring his aunt's movements as he too drank more of his coffee.

"Your father snores," Kukaku glared playfully. "I haven't missed sharing a room with him, let me tell you."

A small smirk tugged at Toshiro's lips.

Like he had with Ichigo and the twins did with each other, Kukaku and Isshin had shared a room growing up. When Kukaku had moved back home to help her brother after Masaki's death, she had converted the downstairs home office into a bedroom so she wouldn't have to sleep upstairs with everyone else, claiming that Isshin's snoring still drove her mad. It was the smallest room in the house and the coldest, but by far the quietest. When Toshiro had been much younger, he would often crawl into her bed to get away from Ichigo's loud outbursts, Kukaku taking him in her arms and cocooning him in her blanket in silence.

That was the other thing about Kukaku. Being a middle child herself, she knew how easy it was to get left behind, especially with such overpowering siblings. She had an extra soft spot for Toshiro it seemed, an extra pair of eyes for Isshin who was distracted by the other kids.

"How are you feeling about the finals today?" Toshiro asked softly, glad for the distraction from his Momo thoughts.

Jinta and Yuzu had their free skate finals today. It was their last chance to wow the judges after their slightly disappointing short programme two days previous.

"Well I don't like their chances of making it on the podium," Kukaku sighed, "but that's not what I care about. Yuzu and Jinta have both come so far, even just with this Olympic experience alone. As long as they're happy, I'm happy. I'm so proud of both of them."

Nodding, Toshiro finished his breakfast in silence, while Kukaku did the same with her coffee. Yuzu and Jinta had done really good jobs with their performances lately, even if the nerves had gotten to them at the short programme finals. The improvement was obvious from the start of last season to now, and it was so clear how hard they had been working to get there. Kukaku was right, it wouldn't matter if they didn't medal here, and they would likely get another chance at the next Olympics. Being so young they could even have two more Olympic games up their sleeves if they could look after their bodies.

Eventually the pair in question arrived down for a quick breakfast before the three of them left to head down to the arena. Toshiro and the rest of the family were due to head down for the nine o'clock start time of the performances but that was still two hours away. He couldn't really go for a run since his workout clothes and earphones were all in his still occupied room. Instead, the snowboarder took to once again stalking Rukia and the RukiShiro tag online, while giving Instagram and therefore Momo a wide berth.

It seemed Rukia was getting hit with a lot of backlash about her alleged 'date', with many of his fans and the RukiShiro shippers calling her out on it. Toshiro pursed his lips; it was amazing the amount of damage one poorly researched gossip article could do. Finally, just as Toshiro was planning to create a fake account to weigh in on this scandal and hopefully get a few fans to lighten up for Rukia's sake, he found a recent post from RukiaFansOfficial that seemed to be setting a few people straight.

**RukiaFansOfficial** RukiaFansOfficial – 8h  
_Rukia has been spotted on a 'date' today, causing an outcry from our dear #RukiShiro shippers. Let me put all that to rest right now – the man Rukia is with is christophe-gc, former figure skating legend. He is now MARRIED HAPPILY TO HIS HUSBAND._  
(Photo attached: Rukia and Christophe having lunch together.)

**RukiaFansOfficial** RukiaFansOfficial – 8h  
_Don't you worry my ice babies, #RukiShiro is still a go! This was taken last night AFTER Rukia's 'date', look how happy they look together (heart). Also can we appreciate #GinRan for a moment, aren't they adorable (heart eyes) #IreAussie_  
(Photo attached: Rukia and Toshiro hugging outside the hotels, Rangiku and Gin nearby.)

A small smile tugged at Toshiro's lips and a soft chuckle escaped his lips. Whoever ran this account was a real character, even if they almost crazy obsessed with Rukia. It appeared they were on his side regardless, even though they were the source of most of the RukiShiro gossip hitting the internet, and therefore the source of Momo's ammunition against him.

Isshin came down to breakfast next, followed by Karin. Rangiku waltzed down some time later, all smiles and excitable bouncing. It seemed the strawberry blonde was still love drunk on Gin.

Finally, Ichigo and Renji came down, all cuddles and cuteness; apparently they'd had a bit of a hot tub date themselves, and they were still all loved up. Toshiro sighed in relief that he could now return to his room. He ran back to the hotel and had to duck behind a pillar in the lobby on the way up to avoid Yoruichi who was walking through; after last night's chat, he was sure she would try follow up with him but it was still far too fresh for that, in Toshiro's opinion. Returning to the room, he showered and changed quickly before zipping back down to meet his family who were just finishing off their breakfasts.

The Shiba clan walked down to the arena and found good seats in their available section, Toshiro making sure to sit as far away from Yoruichi as possible. They didn't have to wait long before the finals got underway.

Yuzu and Jinta were the third pair to go and the family held their breaths as took up their positions on the ice. The opening bars to their chosen music, 'Unstoppable' by E. S. Posthumus – edited and stretched out to last the length of their free skate – sounded and the pair took off confidently. The song started slow for a few minutes but began to build, the beat coming through with growing power as they threw their first jumps. Jinta went down into a crouch but got up quickly and they went immediately into synchronised spins, this time they were much more in sync than in the short programme.

The song grew and grew before stuttering for a moment, Yuzu and Jinta sharing a cheeky smile there for a moment, knowing the song was about to kick back in with much more intensity. It did and they flew off again in a burst of jumps, throws and spins, each one of them nailed flawlessly as the commentator struggled to keep up with everything.

Their theme for the season had been 'strength', and in the short program they had showed emotional strength in a tragic and heartbreaking performance, but their free skate showed raw physical strength and determination. Toshiro had seen them perform it a number of times now but this performance was by far the strongest he had seen from them, minus Jinta's small fault early on. They didn't use Yuzu's newly learned triple Lutz as she still wasn't a hundred percent confident with it but it was still an incredible routine.

The pair finished in very fast and tight side by side spins before collapsing to the ice as the audience exploded in cheers. The Shibas were up out of their seats and jumping madly; it had been the best performance of Yuzu's career! Even better than when they had taken gold at the juniors last season.

They met Kukaku at the rink's edge, their coach beaming proudly as she pulled them into her arms and hugged them tightly. A glance over at Isshin told Toshiro the father of four was once again getting emotional as he clapped loudly and blinked back proud tears.

Yuzu and Jinta were ushered to the Kiss and Cry with their coach and the scores were revealed.

139.50, a new personal best for both of them!

With their score from the short programme, they had a total of 200.17 and that was the first time they had ever scored over 200! They were currently in first place but there were still thirteen more pairs to go.

Despite their impressive score, they didn't make the podium, their short programme score letting them down. The more experienced skaters from Germany, Russia, Canada and China, amongst others, took to the ice and scored high with very technical routines. Scores between 150 and 160 were revealed, combining with excellent short programme scores to place them with totals over 230. In the end, the gold medallists were the Germans, with Russia taking silver and Canada the bronze. Yuzu and Jinta placed eighth overall, behind two pairs from China, one from France and another from Italy.

Yuzu could not have been happier though, the blonde teenager throwing herself into her father's arms when the family reunited after the event.

"Dad, we killed it!" she squealed excitedly, "Eighth out of sixteen! That's better than any other Australian pair has ever done!"

"I'm so proud, Sweetheart," Isshin murmured, hugging her tighter. "Congratulations!"

Just as with Ichigo's finals, Yuzu got hugs from everyone in the family. This time Toshiro got a tight hug instead of the fist bump and a subtle dig he had gotten from his big brother.

"Congratulations, Yuu," Toshiro hummed, appreciating the affection he rarely got from her. "That was incredible."

"Thanks Tosh," Yuzu grinned, "but more importantly, LOOK AT THIS!"

She shoved her phone under Toshiro's nose, showing Rukia's twitter page on the screen.

**RukiKuchi** RukiKuchi – 1h  
_Shout to Yuzu Shiba on her incredible free skate performance today! (Australian flag) (Ice skate)_

"I screamed so loud when I saw it," Yuzu giggled. "The security guards came running into the girls change room because they thought someone was hurt."

Toshiro chuckled; he had heard her squeal that many times over one celebrity obsession or another and knew exactly how terrifying it could be. These days, her family didn't bat an eye when they heard it.

"Are you seeing Rukia today?" Yuzu asked, bouncing on her toes.

"I don't know," Toshiro shrugged. "She has her free skate tomorrow so she is probably very busy training."

"I'm so excited to watch it!" Yuzu squealed, "Can we go watch it tomorrow, please?"

"Of course," Toshiro smiled. "I think she will appreciate the support."

Especially since she was changing her routine behind her coach's back.

The family walked back to the village, Toshiro and Isshin breaking off to get ready for training. They met back outside the hotel and this time, Rangiku was noticeably on time. Toshiro was torn between glad to see she was finally being punctual and guilty because she had obviously taken his snap at her yesterday to heart.

They made their way up the mountain, Isshin and Toshiro riding the chairlift together once more.

"Are you feeling better today?" Isshin asked softly, eyes sweeping over Toshiro's face. "You look happier, but also more tired."

"Yeah I didn't sleep very well last night," Toshiro admitted with a shrug. "I had to share Rangiku's bed again."

That wasn't why he hadn't slept though, the message from Momo bouncing back and forth across his mind like the old Windows screensaver.

"But I do feel better," Toshiro added quickly, seeing the concern come over Isshin's features. "I had a good evening with my friends last night, and seeing Yuzu today was inspiring."

That was true.

"Well good," Isshin hummed, "but if you need to take a break today, just let me know. It's okay."

Toshiro exhaled and nodded; hopefully he wouldn't need it.

Training today was in the half pipe and it was, unfortunately, shared time with the other finalists, meaning Toshiro and Rangiku were reluctant to practise their best tricks, especially with their New Zealand competitors watching them closely. It seemed that they were holding back too, however, with Kenpachi whispering to his daughter while Ikkaku listened closely.

Due to his abysmal training session yesterday on the slopestyle course, Toshiro and Isshin were feeling slightly less confident about his run for that event (or a lot less confident, in Toshiro's case). If he could pull it together and focus, then maybe he still had a shot of making the podium in the slopestyle. The half pipe, however, was far less of a concern; even despite the drama of yesterday, Toshiro was able to let it all go in the pipe. His run was very strong, definitely podium-worthy if he could pull it off.

Being that the halfpipe couldn't differ from venue to venue like a slopestyle course could meant that Toshiro had choreographed his run weeks ago, from straight after the X Games when Ikkaku had thrown back to back 1440s and Hanataro had managed a double corked 1440. Toshiro also mastered the double corked 1440 and planned to beat out both of those men by throwing them back to back in the finals, just as he had at the X-Games. He knew Hanataro wouldn't be able to get the height to do two in a row and to be honest, Toshiro had really struggled too, but trained hard to get the tighter rotations in. That was something that Ikkaku couldn't do with his lanky body, so Toshiro was confident he would be the only one out of the three of them to perform that trick back to back again, especially since they had only had a month to work on it.

"Alright Toshiro, you're up," Isshin said nudging him towards the pipe opening. "One rotation less, go!"

Toshiro slipped down the pipe, his mind focusing much easier than it had the day before. He slipped over the lip of the pipe and shot down, giving him enough momentum to completely his first trick, a double corked 1080. He knew, even though he hadn't thrown the extra rotation, that he had nailed the altitude and speed of the rotations that he could have. If it was the finals, he would have landed the first double corked 1440.

Shooting back across the other side of the pipe, Toshiro prepared to do the same trick again. He had landed in 'goofy stance', the opposite of his preferred 'regular stance', which set him up to the second trick switch. He rotated front side, completely a cab double cork 1080 with ease. That would have been his back to backs done in the finals.

For the third trick, he performed a simple air to fakie which would enhance his flavour and style points and break up the run for a moment, giving the judges a moment to catch their heads so they weren't overloaded with all the spins.

Shooting into his fourth trick and fifth trick, again with one rotation less than he planned to do in the finals, Toshiro executed flawlessly double cork 900s back to back.

"Beautiful stuff," Isshin clapped him on the back when Toshiro had made it back to the top of mountain. "You're so much more together today, Kid. How did you feel about it?"

Isshin showed him the footage he had just shot of Toshiro's run that he had filmed just on his phone so the snowboarder could watch it back and identify areas for improvement but there weren't any. Everything had been there – the height he needed, the speed he needed, the tight clean rotations, smooth landings, all of it. It was a beautifully completed run, but Toshiro still wasn't entirely happy with it.

"I don't know, Dad," he sighed. "I feel like I could be doing something more."

He exhaled, watching Ikkaku as the bald man went down the pipe next. Back to back 1440s, sky-hook, his once-signature move the double McTwist and a double corked 1260. It was his X-Games run again; a very strong and powerful run, and yet Toshiro knew he was holding back, like he had a little something extra up his sleeve.

It was already getting in his head – the psych out.

"More than back to back double cork fourteens?" Isshin asked, voice low but disbelieving.

"Look at Ikkaku's height," Toshiro pointed out, "If he has secret weapon, I'm doomed."

"You have a secret weapon," Isshin reminded him, voice going even lower now.

Yes he did have a secret weapon but there was one slight issue with it, the issue being that-

"I've only managed to land it a handful of times," Toshiro frowned. "I can't throw a trick I haven't mastered into the Olympics."

"You get three runs in the finals," Isshin murmured, "We won't attempt it if we don't have to, but I think you're more than capable of it if we need to. Just think about it."

The secret weapon was a switch backside 1260. No one had ever even attempted it in competition. As far as he knew, none had ever attempted it at all.

It was a complicated, technical, awkward and just outright terrifying trick. It would involve a blind entry and landing, with very little chance to even spot a landing.

Snowboarders rarely rode switch. Growing up, they eventually learned to perform tricks cab, or switch front side, but even then it was an odd feeling to ride a board like that. No one ever really attempted switch backside because of the degree of awkwardness which made for a highly difficult trick.

When Isshin had come up with the idea of performing a trick switch backside, Toshiro had felt a shiver go down his spine. Gods he wanted to be the one to land that trick in front of the world. However, he had attempted it maybe fifty times in training, and had landed it perhaps six or seven times. He was capable of landing it, sure, but not consistently – it a major risk to throw into his Olympic run last minute, especially without having a chance to practice it again. They had temporarily stopped trying, leaving it as a goal for the World Championships in March instead.

"Rangiku, you're up," Isshin called over to the strawberry blonde who was sitting in the snow, fiddling with the boot locks on her board.

"Toshiro can go again," she huffed, glancing up at them, "I think I broke my clip."

"Can you fix it?" Isshin asked.

"I think so," Rangiku murmured, "give me a minute."

Isshin nodded and turned back to Toshiro, nodding towards the pipe.

"Off you go then."

Nodding, Toshiro lined up with the pipe again, ready to go once more. Isshin ordered him to only go a half rotation less this time. Toshiro did it without complaint, although he was landing in the opposite stances he was supposed to for the finals, but it certainly kept him on his toes and allowed him to practice the tighter rotations.

Rangiku was still fixing her board when he returned to the top of the pipe, watching carefully as Yachiru flew down the pipe.

Toshiro got another run in her place and eventually the New Zealand team left, heading off to the big air course so Ikkaku and Yumichika could practise that instead. It found Toshiro, Rangiku and Isshin at the top of the pipe, alone despite not having a private practice scheduled.

Before Isshin had even said it, Toshiro knew what he was going to suggest.

"There's nobody here," he murmured lowly, despite the privacy they had. "Let's give it a go."

"The back twelve?" Toshiro asked, even though he knew the answer.

Isshin hummed in agreement, "Focus. You can do it."

Even Rangiku looked up from her board, features apprehensive, just as the white haired rider was feeling.

His coach gave him a nudge forward in encouragement, reminding him that no one was around to see it. That if he couldn't get it today, it wasn't a worry because they weren't planning to put it in his run anyway. That his practice runs had been so clean today that he could afford to spend some time working on this.

Sighing, Toshiro launched down the wall, performing two very easy front side airs just to get the height and speed up. One his third swoop up the pipe, in goofy stance with his right foot forward, Toshiro twisted his body counter clockwise as he launched into the air, unable to see the lip of the pipe as he did so. Three and a half rotations, two off axis flips and-

CRASH!

Toshiro clipped the lip of the pipe on the landing and, only just managing to throw his arm out to stop his face from hitting the pipe wall, before sliding down the icy wall on his front. He landed in a heap at the bottom, and groaned painfully.

"Toshiro!" Isshin called. "You okay?"

Sticking his hand into the air and sending his father a thumbs up, Toshiro slowly shifted back up, unclipping his board and walking back up the mountain. It wasn't as bad a fall as his one yesterday, but it still bloody hurt.

"So close, Son," Isshin greeted him, showing him the footage. "The rotations are there and the entry is good, it's just the landing you need to work on."

"It's hard when I can't see the pipe," Toshiro muttered. "I'm landing with my back to it."

"That's the difficulty of the trick," Isshin chuckled, patting him on the back. "Try it again, this time pull in your cork flips and try and get them down with more time to spare before the landing. Your mind hasn't got time to readjust so I think you're panicking a bit, trying to find the landing yourself instead of letting the pipe find you."

"The pipe doesn't move," Toshiro frowned in confusion; how was the pipe supposed to 'find' him?

"Exactly," Isshin laughed. "You're not letting yourself drop back onto it, you're putting your foot out to find it yourself and that's why you keep clipping the edge."

That kind of made sense, Toshiro frowned.

"Again!" Isshin called and Toshiro launched down the pipe once more.

This time he landed it, getting his board back on the pipe wall without clipping the edges, but his balance was off and he fell back onto his ass, sliding down the pipe wall on his butt and no doubt getting ice burn there. Fanfuckingtastic.

"Bend your knees more," Isshin grinned when he returned, Toshiro fidgeting uncomfortably as the ice burn left his ass numb and tingling,."Keep yourself low so your centre of gravity is low."

Rangiku was back on her board now, apparently having fixed the issue with her clips. They watched as she completed her full run flawlessly. She was going to kill it at the finals, no problem.

The Shiba men chuckled as she jumped up and down in celebration at the bottom, obviously having felt how good her run was.

Then Rangiku's attention seemed to focus elsewhere and Toshiro followed her line of sight to the small dark haired figure sitting in the audience stands. Toshiro felt fear slice through him, concerned that a competitor or worse, a reporter, might have been watching him take on the back twelve which was supposed to be a secret. He tensed and squinted to see-

"Rukia?" he frowned, confused to see her up here. Relieved and delighted of course, but very confused.

"Rukia!" Rangiku called out, waving madly and calling the girl down to her.

"Did you invite her to watch your training session?" Isshin asked as they watched as Rukia stood from her seat and wandered down to meet Rangiku, the strawberry blonde rushing to meet her and pulling her into a big bear hug.

"No, I didn't but…" Toshiro trailed off as he stared down the slope. Rukia had been released and the two women were chatting at the bottom of the pipe. Something was off, Toshiro noticed and frowned; the way she held her body was tense, like she had been several afternoons ago in his room, talking about her sister, and as she took to the ice in her short programme finals.

"Dad, can I take a break to go see her?" Toshiro found himself asking, "Please?"

"You want to take a break in the middle of your Olympics training session?" Isshin asked disbelievingly. "During a rare private session, I might add."

"You said to ask if I wanted to take a break."

"To refocus if you needed to, not to see a girl."

"Please, Dad," Toshiro asked, again, eyes going wide and hopeful.

Yes, it was silly, but he could tell something was up with Rukia and he needed to see her. She had come all the up the mountain to see him, for goodness sake, she obviously wanted to see him about something!

Isshin let out a low suffering sigh.

"I suppose we owe Rangiku some more runs," he said, exhaling slowly, "and I'm not sure how much private time we have left."

Toshiro straightened excitedly.

"Fine, you can go see Rukia," Isshin drawled, tilting his head, "but I want to see you land the back twelve first."

Groaning, Toshiro turned back to the pipe and huffed. He might never get to see Rukia again if he couldn't land this thing.

"Bend your knees," Isshin reminded him, humour returning.

Sighing, Toshiro took a deep breath and lined back up with the pipe before taking off. Switch backside 1260 – easy peasy, he had done it before, he could do it again, no worries mate.

Plus Rukia was watching, which meant he wasn't allowed to fuck it up.

Down into the pipe, up the opposite wall. Front side air one. Back down the pipe, up the opposite side again. Front side air two, landing in switch. Height, good. Speed, better.

Down the pipe wall in goofy stance, up the first wall again and twist!

Once again, the pipe was in his blind spot. He couldn't see it but let his body carry him through the motions he had been practicing. Just the average double cork 1260… only backwards this time. He didn't reach his foot out to find the wall, dropping back in and hoping for the best. Staying low and crouched, Toshiro felt the crunch of his board hitting the hard-packed snow again, and stayed down until he was confident he was stable enough to come back up.

Standing up as he reached the bottom of the pipe, Toshiro twisted and skidded to a halt, staring back up at the wall he had just flown up disbelievingly. It took several seconds for his mind to kick back into gear, even despite the cheering he could hear around him. He had landed it. Toshiro had just landed his back twelve again!

His jaw dropped in shock as he glanced back up the pipe to where his father was grinning stupidly down at him and giving him a thumbs up. Isshin sent him a look that said 'okay, you've earned your break, have fun."

Chuckling, Toshiro turned around again, locking eyes with Rukia. She was smiling softly, eyes impressed, but the tension was still in her body.

"Did you see me?" Toshiro grinned, stepping off his board and ignoring as Rangiku threw him a suggestive look before she took back off up the slope.

"Yeah I did," Rukia smirked. "I also saw you fall on your ass."

Grimacing at that, Toshiro pouted playfully, eliciting a small amused chuckle from her. He grinned and moved towards her, dragging his board and unclipping his helmet, lifting his goggles up and off.

"What are doing here?" Toshiro asked when he reached her, stepping forward to kiss cheek in greeting, hand on the small of her back. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course."

When he pulled back, she had that faint blush on her cheeks again. It was the beautiful rosy hue he had become obsessed with creating on the porcelain-skinned canvas.

She seemed to hesitate in her answer.

"I was getting a bit stir crazy back the village," she told him eventually. "Thought I'd come get some fresh air."

Up a mountain was a long way to go for fresh air, but then again Toshiro was always most at peace there. He regarded her for a moment; it seemed she was still very tense about something.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your training," she added quickly. "I was just going to watch."

"You're not interrupting," Toshiro smiled softly, "I'm glad you're here."

He had been concerned that maybe she was coming up to end things with him, but that didn't appear to be the case. Rukia was coming to him for another reason, but whether that was for a distraction or comfort, or perhaps another reason, he didn't know. He didn't get the sense she was going to be straight up honest about it either.

What he did know was that her free skate final was the very next day, and that she was attempting a very risky move. Two very risky moves, in fact, the first being the quad Lutz she had been practising and the second being her very secret routine. She was going behind her brother's back, behind her coach's back, and that couldn't have left her feeling easy.

If Rukia wanted to talk about it, she could and Toshiro would listen. If she wanted the distraction, Toshiro would give it to her, and if she wanted the comfort, well he was there for that too.

"Dad is going to work with Rangiku for a bit now," Toshiro murmured. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Are-are you sure?" Rukia shifted uneasily. "I don't want to take you away from your private time."

Toshiro shook his head, quickly explaining that the jump he was just training wasn't something he was putting into his Olympic run and that he had gotten a lot of extra time while Rangiku was fixing her board.

Finally Rukia nodded, probably glad to get out of the line of sight of Rangiku and Isshin. Toshiro took her hand loosely, allowing her to pull back if she wanted (she didn't though), and led her around behind the audience stands.

"How are you feeling tomorrow?" Toshiro asked, trying to gage the tension she was radiating.

Somewhere between a huff and a sigh was her only response and Toshiro nodded, understanding. She didn't want to talk about it; she wasn't here to open up. That was fine, he wouldn't push her. He could help to distract her though, which was likely what she was looking for more than anything.

That seemed to line up with her history, as he recalled the rumours that suggested she always sought out sex the night before her big performances, as he had experience himself on night one of the Olympics. Toshiro doubted that was why she had come to see him during training though, especially if her intention was really just to watch. That being said, if she wasn't here for sex, but she routinely had one night stands right before her finals, then why was she here? Why bother with him when she could have gone to any guy not currently training and got herself sorted? Was this… dare Toshiro think it… _loyalty _she was showing him? Loyalty without the intention of sex?

Woah.

That was a startling thought. An amazing thought though, one that defied the hater gossip, one that contradicted the awful messages Momo sent him. It was a thought that aligned with what Toshiro really wanted, and what #RukiShiro supporters seemed to be arguing, what even Rukia's best friend was arguing, that Toshiro was more than just an Olympic fuck.

"What are you grinning at?" Rukia shoved him a little as they walked.

"Nothing, Beautiful," Toshiro chuckled, his smile stretching even wider.

Rukia huffed back at him but she didn't look mad at all, in fact he thought he saw a tug at her lips and perhaps a touch of tension leave her body.

Sex was temporarily off the table (given they were up a mountain, in the middle of his training session, in public and in close proximity to his father and best friend), but she had come to him for a distraction and Toshiro was determined to help.

They made it behind the stands and fortunately the slope wasn't as steep anymore, giving the snowboarder an idea about what he could do to take Rukia's mind off her worries. Toshiro dropped his board on the ground in front of her and held it in place with his foot.

"Get on," he said, gesturing to the board.

Surprise overcame Rukia's features as she eyed the board with apprehension.

"Come on, wild girl," Toshiro smirked, poking her where he knew she was ticklish to which she yelped and jumped away, "I won't let you get hurt."

"Not what I'm worried about," Rukia grimaced.

"What, are you worried that the Queen of the Ice will be _bad _at something?" Toshiro teased playfully, hoping to rile her up a little. "Are you worried about being embarrassed?"

She scoffed instantly, jumping on his teasing bandwagon.

"Please," she flicked her hair over her shoulder theatrically, a rather good impression of Rangiku not that she seemed to be going for that, "I'm actually worried I'll show _you_ up and you'll be the embarrassed one."

Toshiro laughed heartedly and grinned at her.

"I think I'll take that risk," he smirked, reaching his hand out to her.

After a final moment of hesitation, Rukia took his hand and her legs moved, stepping forward and onto his board.

"Sit, it will be easier."

Rukia did as was told, sitting back in the snow as Toshiro crouched down to clip her in, having to tighten the straps much more for her little snow boots. She was facing forward, looking straight down the slope, board horizontal.

"When you stand, lean back on your heels," Toshiro instructed, "that way you won't go anywhere."

Nodding, Rukia let Toshiro help her stand up on his board and leaned back as advised, her heels digging the heel side edge of the board into the snow so it couldn't move. The white haired Australian stood in front of her and held her hips. As she was higher on the slope and standing on his board, she was suddenly almost the same height as him, her violet eyes level with his and full of nervous excitement. Smiling and leaning forward, Toshiro's eyes fluttered closed as he caught her lips in a brief and hopefully reassuring kiss.

"This slope isn't too steep," he told her when he pulled back, "but it's still steeper than most beginner slopes, so we'll have to take it slow."

Letting go of her hips, Toshiro stepped away and stood beside her, looking down slope. He kept a hold of her hand for security in case she accidently took off.

"To move, put weight on your toes," Toshiro informed her, "to slow or stop, put weight back on your heels like you're doing now."

Rukia nodded and slowly put a small amount of weight on her toe side edge, the board responding instantly and beginning to slide, causing her to yelp a little and grip his arm tightly with both hands, the shift in her weight sending her and the board slightly left, cutting in front of him.

"Lean back," he reminded her with a smirk and she did, stopping instantly. Toshiro chuckled and was huffed at again by the Irish beauty but he could see that she was relieved to have gotten her head around the simple brake.

Leaning forward again, Rukia wasn't startled by the sudden movement of the board this time and let it carry her down the slope at snail pace, now more comfortable as her grip on him lessened and Toshiro walked alongside her.

"The closer your toes are to the snow, the faster you will go," he told her, "but at this angle, you can't go very fast anyway because you're going down horizontal to a vertical slope. Don't lean too far onto your toes though, you'll just dig into the snow and fall on your face."

Trying it a few more times, Rukia would allow herself to slide for a moment before stopping and then sliding off again. Eventually, Toshiro taught her to lean to the side and point her board a little to adjust direction.

"When can I go straight?" Rukia asked, apparently becoming more confident on the board. Mind you, she was only travelling at about three kilometres an hour.

"When you've got a good handle on stopping," Toshiro chuckled.

Rukia leaned back on her heels and stopped, flashing him a grin before moving again.

"I am nailing this," she told him confidently.

"Yes, you're really zooming down," Toshiro teased, rolling his eyes as he strolled beside her at a leisurely pace, "I'm really struggling to keep up with you."

"Shut up," Rukia laughed. "I would go a lot faster if you would let me go straight."

Chuckling, Toshiro relented and started to talk her through going straight. It was skipping quite a few steps in learning to snowboard but they didn't have a lot of time left before Isshin would surely want him back in the pipe.

"Going straight down will be much faster, I won't be able to run along beside you," Toshiro told her. "Remember to turn back to this position and dig your heels in when you want to stop."

"Got it," Rukia nodded.

"Alright good," Toshiro exhaled. "Now we need to work out your stance. Instinctively, do you want to ride with your left foot forward or your right?"

Thinking about it, Rukia twisted her hips left and then right and left again, obviously trying to imagine herself shooting down the slope.

"Left foot forward, I think," Rukia frowned softly.

Toshiro nodded, "That's regular stance. That's how I normally ride, and most right-side dominant people."

Helping her twist so she was vertical to the slope with her left foot at the front, Toshiro stood behind her and held onto her hips. He showed her how to twist her board back to the horizontal position and lean back so she could stop.

"If I'd known there was going to be this amount of inappropriate touching," Rukia smirked, putting her hands over his. "I'd have learned to snowboard with you last week."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, ignoring the blush that was settling across his cheeks in hopes that Rukia would ignore it too. She didn't, if the way her smirk stretched wider was anything to go by.

Despite her protests, Toshiro took his helmet and placed it on her head, clipping and tightening the straps. Most people panicked and just fell over when they wanted to stop, and while that probably wasn't going to hurt too much in the soft fresh snow if Rukia did that, Toshiro wasn't taking any chances with Ireland's superstar.

"Alright, Beautiful," Toshiro drew in closer, moving his hands from her hips to wrap around her waist, her arms covering his as he did so. "You think you're ready to give it a go?"

"Sure am, Handsome," Rukia answered, a grin evident in her voice.

Smiling to himself, Toshiro pressed a small kiss into her neck, just below the choker that covered his most recent mark on her. He felt her shiver slightly at his touch, making him smirk internally before stepping back and slowly releasing her.

She began to slide down the slope, picking up speed quickly to which she let out an excited cheer.

"Remember how to brake!" Toshiro called after her, hurrying as fast as he could to keep up with her, but on foot on the very slippy snow slope, it wasn't very fast.

It wasn't long before she got too fast and squealed loudly, arms flailing about for a moment. Toshiro knew she was going to fall before she did, but was impressed that she had attempted to twist and plant her heels down, but unfortunately she lost balance and face planted ungracefully into the snow.

Rushing to her side, Toshiro was glad to see she was unharmed and actually laughing when he reached her. Rukia was lying on her stomach in the snow, propped up on her elbows with ice all over her clothes, absolutely pissing herself.

Toshiro couldn't help but join in again, her laugh the most infectious sound in the world. He dropped down next to her, lying on his side and laughing loudly when he saw the snow smeared across her face.

"Oh my god," she chuckled. "I'm a champion in the making."

"Of course," Toshiro chuckled, reaching out to remove the helmet and wipe the ice off her face, brushing away the bits that made it into her hair as well. "I've never seen such snowboarding talent."

"I'm about as good as you in skates," Rukia shoved him, as Toshiro grinned back at her; they definitely should stick to their respective sports. "I can't imagine how much it would hurt to fall in the half pipe."

"It's not fun," Toshiro grimaced, his ass still tingling from before.

Brushing the last of the snow out of her hair, Toshiro tucked it behind her ear. It fully exposed her bright violet eyes to him and now they were full of humour and happiness, almost all of the nervous tension he had seen in her earlier had now vanished. Obviously the distraction was working. Laughing and covered in snow, Toshiro was not sure she had ever looked so beautiful, even though she seemed to look even more beautiful in every new light he saw her in. To him, Rukia was the gift that kept on giving.

Her eyes flickered down to his lips and Toshiro needed no convincing, closing the gap quickly as he kissed her. It seemed she was going to let him lead again and so Toshiro took full control. It was one of their slow burning passion kisses, all tender and adoring. Toshiro cupped her face as he deepened it, mouths opening and tongues dancing a slow ballroom rumba. He pulled her closer as he leaned back until he was lying on his back in the snow and Rukia lying across his stomach, neither breaking the kiss. His board strapped to her feet was definitely making their position more awkward but Toshiro didn't care and neither did Rukia it seemed.

They broke a part for a small breath before tilting the other way and leaning back in. It was a shorter kiss this time; Rukia shivered a little against him and Toshiro was suddenly reminded that they were lying in the snow and she wasn't wearing the same thick attire he was. He pulled back and nodded back up the slope.

"We should head back up," he murmured.

"Sure, but um," Rukia frowned. "How do I get back up?"

Toshiro chuckled, remembering the board strapped to her boots. It was an awkward angle to work with when you weren't used to it, especially trying to roll over or get up without just sliding off again. Lifting her off him, Toshiro scooted down to her feet and unclipped the board, freeing her. Rukia rolled over and sat up.

"Now we have to walk all the way back up there?" she frowned back up the slope to where they started entered behind the pipe. It was only about a hundred metres away but up a slippery slope of thick snow, it was just as tiring as walking up a large sand dune, with an added risk of slipping over.

"Come on," Toshiro grinned, standing and helping her back to her feet. "If you carry the board and helmet, I'll give you a piggy back up."

She looked at him a little disbelievingly, either because she didn't believe he would carry her all the way back or because she was surprised at how immature he was. Toshiro flashed her a cheeky grin and turn his back to her, glancing over his shoulder and nodding for her to come forward. Humouring him, Rukia placed the helmet back on her head and took the board from his hands. Toshiro felt her behind him and bent down as she jumped up a little. Catching her under her thighs, Toshiro waited until they were both comfortable before taking off up the slope. She weighed nothing of course but the slope with the thick snow had his calves burning quickly.

Rangiku was waiting for them which Toshiro hadn't noticed before and began to wonder how long she had been there, as she watched with an amused expression.

"Wow Rukia, that was impressive," Rangiku smirked when they arrived, Toshiro placing Rukia carefully back on her feet.

"Excuse me, did you see how fast I was going?" Rukia played along. "I was faster than light."

"Oh yeah, you'd give Gin a run for his money, for sure," Rangiku giggled, holding up her phone and showing them the grainy footage she had captured of the fall and the resulting kiss. "I got it all on camera."

"Don't post that online," Toshiro sent her a pointed look; so far all the photos and videos released off them were somewhat harmless, causing more speculation than anything, but Rangiku's video showed them kissing very tenderly, which was something that could be misconstrued online. Toshiro didn't want Rukia scared off by fans jumping to conclusions she wasn't ready for.

"I won't," Rangiku looked offended, like she probably wasn't already half way through typing out a caption for it. "I only sent it to Gin… and Yukio, Yuzu too obviously, and my parents."

"What?" Toshiro and Rukia exclaimed simultaneously.

"Oh yes, Mum and Dad are big fans of your ship apparently," Rangiku shrugged casually. "So is Yachiru so I sent it to her too. Well, I accidently sent it in our 'Whistler Gang' group chat with Nanao and the New Zealand boys so now they all have it."

"Rangiku!" Toshiro hissed while Rukia looked horrified.

"Yeah sorry about that," Rangiku sent him a sheepish look, "but that's everyone I sent it to, I swear. Well, Gillian from school too, do you remember her?"

"Why her?" Toshiro asked, bewildered; he was sure Rangiku wasn't even friends with her.

"Her name was next to Gin's," Rangiku shrugged, pouting, "and I have fat thumbs."

She held up her thumb as evidence even though it looked like a normally proportioned digit. Toshiro glared at her and was about to tell her off but lucky for the strawberry blonde, Isshin turned up having returned from the top of the pipe and saved her.

"The American and Japanese riders have turned up now," Isshin told them. "I don't think there's any point staying up here if you can't practice your big tricks anymore."

"So we have the afternoon off?" Rangiku asked excitedly.

"No," Isshin answered quickly, expression unchanged as he had expected the response from her. "You can all go to the gym, that's my compromise."

Rangiku scoffed and rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "Yeah, like those two are going to work out."

"They will," Isshin assured her, sending Toshiro a pointed look, "because they are both hardworking, professional athletes."

"Unlike you," Toshiro flashed Rangiku smirk, causing her to gasp, offended.

"No bickering," Isshin ordered quickly. "Now go before I change my mind."

Toshiro and Rangiku both pouted but turned away regardless, heading towards chairlifts, Toshiro taking his board and helmet off Rukia. The Irish beauty seemed to hang back a second and Toshiro paused, glancing over his shoulder to see her sheepishly apologising to Isshin for interrupting training, an embarrassed heat in her cheeks again.

"Don't be sorry, you're always welcome" he heard his father say in response, "and that's the first I've seen him smile genuinely since… well since he saw you yesterday morning."

The blush in her cheeks seemed to intensify for a moment as Isshin reached out and squeezed her shoulder before walking off, ruffling Toshiro's head as he passed and following Rangiku to the chairlift.

Rukia didn't say anything when she caught back up to him, seemingly rather thoughtful as they followed after his father. They rode the lift together, Toshiro reaching out to hold her hand on the way down. It was the first time they had really held hands outside of the times one of them was leading the other somewhere; this time they were just sitting, enjoying the quiet company for a moment. Toshiro sent her a small smile.

"I really glad you came up today," he murmured.

"Me too," Rukia smiled softly back at him. "Thanks for the lesson."

It felt like she was thanking him for more than that and Toshiro squeezed her hand in response.

They reached the bottom of the mountain and the four of them headed back towards the village, Isshin and Rangiku breaking off to head back into the hotel while Rukia and Toshiro headed towards the gym. Fortunately, Toshiro had packed his gym clothes in his bag before heading up the mountain so he could go straight there afterwards, but Rangiku, who was hoping to skip the gym, had not bothered to do so and now needed to return to her room to change.

Toshiro flashed Rukia a small grin as they headed towards the gym hand in hand, wondering if working out together would classify as a mini date.

"I'm excited to see what your workout regime is like," Rukia smirked at him, a certain type of cheekiness in her voice, "and how it compares to Gin's."

Toshiro felt like she was suggesting something more than that and he raised an interested eyebrow, wondering if she was implying something sexual, which knowing her, she probably was.

"Yeah," Toshiro agreed. "It will be interesting."

They entered the gym and were immediately hit by the blaring music as chart topping songs were pumped around building. It was the middle of the day so many athletes who were still competing in events were likely off training and those who had completed their events were probably off making the most of their trip, like Ichigo, and either way the gym was mostly empty, bar a few athletes milling around.

The men's and ladies' change rooms came into sight and Toshiro and Rukia broke away to their respective areas. Once out of sight, Toshiro allowed himself a small smile – Rukia had held his hand all the way from the chairlifts until just then, only when they were forced to go their separate ways. If he didn't know any better, he would start to think maybe he was wearing her down a little further.

Good, because there were only a handful of days left of the Olympics and Toshiro needed to know there was a future beyond St Moritz for them.

Changing as quickly as he could into his workout clothes, a sleeveless tank top and gym shorts, Toshiro emerged from the men's to find Rukia already waiting for him on the gym floor, scrolling through her phone. She looked good in gym clothes, of course she did. She was wearing leggings again that was nothing new although these ones had a slightly different design than her normal ones, and a sky blue shirt that hugged her figure beautifully.

As he approached her, an advertisement for women's underwear flashed across the line of televisions mounted on the walls. Seeing it as an opener, and an excuse to talk about women's underwear which would hopefully turn to a conversation about Rukia's underwear, Toshiro chuckled.

"I don't know how women do it," he said. "Guys only have like three types of underwear, how do you even pick from the millions the kind of underwear you're going to use?"

"Oh I know," Rukia smirked without looking up from her phone. "That's why I'm not wearing any."

Toshiro's brain went dead. Maybe he'd had a stroke?

Surely that's what had happened, because Toshiro had zero thoughts. Zero, none, nil, nada. In fact he wasn't entirely sure he hadn't blacked out, other than the fact he was somehow still standing, because all he remembered was Rukia answering and then the next thing he knew, she was already on a treadmill.

_Move legs. Walk. Come on, Kid, you can do it._

The first few steps felt like he was walking in someone else's body, or like someone else was walking in his body, either way it didn't feel natural, but eventually Toshiro managed to get back into his normal rhythm of walking and hopped up on the treadmill beside Rukia.

He looked at her reflection in the glass and somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted she was checking him out, but he was too busy staring at her workout tights and trying to spot the line of her underwear in hope she might be lying to tease him. It didn't appear to be the case though, leaving Toshiro to sigh internally know he was going to thinking about it for the entirety of his workout and would likely be spotted staring at her a few times too.

Managing to autopilot his way into configuring the settings on his machine, Toshiro noticed Rukia do the same as they both started running. Rukia was jogging at a much slower pace but continuously without break, settling in for marathon run and rationing her energy to pull her through which made sense for a figure skater needing to keep up their stamina for the duration of their entire performance. Meanwhile Toshiro practiced high intensity interval training, shortened to HIIT. Basically it was a method of cardio with a 1:1 ratio of extremely intense working out to rest time, both elements as equally important. Toshiro loved HIIT training, especially when there was fast and powerful music to accompany and motivate him.

"How long do you spend in the gym?" Toshiro asked during one of his rest periods, now that he finally had his thoughts together again.

"I don't normally like being locked up in a gym," Rukia answered and Toshiro nodded, relating all too well. "So usually only around four hours, no longer if I can avoid it. I usually work out in the dance studio or going for a run outside. What about you?"

"Six to eight with breaks on days I'm not on the slopes," he told her, flashing her a small grin. "Hard to find places to go for a jog when you're up a snowy mountain."

He wasn't a fan of days he wasn't on the slopes, but unfortunately it wasn't good for his body to be in those temperatures all day, every day.

"That's about the same as Gin," Rukia commented, her voice thicker in a way that had Toshiro smirking at her, especially as her cheeks started to go pink; maybe he wasn't the only one a little turned on now.

Toshiro turned back to his machine and pumped up the speed ready for his next bout of intense sprinting. He did this over and over, all the while Rukia kept up her steady jog beside him. They chatted a little back and forth but it was all mostly small talk, Rukia seemingly giving the topic of her free skate and anything else personal a wide berth but Toshiro didn't mind since the high intensity training didn't give him a lot of breath left to speak; he had to give the high moments everything he had and more, and during the rest breaks, his body was screaming at him to recover. It wasn't the best time to try and have a deep and meaningful conversation.

He was sweating by the time he got a glance of Rangiku entering the gym, her gym bag thrown over her shoulder. Rukia was distracted and missed the very suggestive wink the strawberry blonde devil flashed them as she caught sight of them running side by side. Toshiro sent her a pointed look and his best friend rolled her eyes but nodded regardless; she was going to give them some space to be alone. She smirked before she turned in to ladies change room and that left Toshiro nervous, having a bad feeling that she would be back eventually.

Shaking it off, Toshiro noticed Rukia had started to sweat a little too, and tied her hair up off her neck giving him a delicious view of her porcelain skin and the fading bruise left by his own teeth. It had been close to a week since they had last had sex, and after last night's hot tub teasing, Toshiro very much wanted to get in between her legs again. It would likely happen tonight, provided they had a room to use, if Rukia's looks and smirks were anything to go by, and Toshiro was itching for it to happen. He was always itching for it with Rukia.

Rukia stepped up the speed of her treadmill, running faster and Toshiro snuck a number of glances her way to see the little beads of sweat forming on her forehead and the way she started to pant, just like she did below him all those afternoons ago. Toshiro couldn't help but turn innocent thoughts to dirty now, and that meant he was becoming very turned on.

They were coming up to an hour spent on the treadmills before Rukia got off, but Toshiro stayed on to finish his hour and hopefully clear his mind which was rapidly becoming dazed under Rukia's spell. It wasn't to be, however, has he found his eye following her as she left, heading towards the mirrors. She walked out of his line of sight forcing him to turn to continue to watch her.

_No, focus on your workout,_ Toshiro told himself.

He turned back to the front and upped his speed back to the high intensity runs he had been doing and went for it, sprinting madly on the spot while the treadmill's belt moved below him. Despite the fact he was running as fast as he possibly could, his mind began to wander again, begging to know what Rukia was doing. Was she stretching? Squatting? Lifting weights? Hell, she could be popping a pimple and he'd still be attracted to her.

With a serious lack of self-control, Toshiro turned to look, catching a glimpse of the dark haired beauty squatting low, her posture perfect and ass sticking out all round and plump, her leggings struggling as they tightened over her skin-

_Fuck!_

As the saying went, _curiosity killed the cat_ and now it had almost killed Toshiro, the athlete tripping over his own feet mid-sprint. He just managed to catch himself on the hand rails, but his feet stumbled along trying to catch up with the speed of the belt. His face was red hot as he punched the speed down button until it was back down to a jogging speed.

It was highly embarrassing and if he had any shame at all he would have stopped looking at Rukia, but the fact was he couldn't stop looking at her. He slowed further for a water break, taking long sips from his water bottle but his eyes stayed on her, watching her perfect and incredibly alluring form as she continued to squat before him. Gods, she had no idea what she did to him.

It was ridiculous; no girl should look that damn good and have such an unfair effect on his mind. Distracting him from his exercise just by doing her own exercises? Well now that was just rude.

Deciding his safety was pretty important too, although maybe not as important as an Irish figure skater doing squats, Toshiro hopped off the demon machine and moved away. Deciding he needed to pull himself together, the white haired snowboarder moved around the corner to the weight machines, blocking Rukia from his line of sight and him from hers. Now they could both concentrate on their tasks and hopefully the time apart would have them both forgetting about that embarrassing stumble of his and would allow them to cool off a little.

In the back corner of the weights area, Toshiro spotted Rangiku staring down into her phone as she mindlessly used the abductor resistance machine, or as she called it 'the slut machine', which had her opening and closing her legs with resistance weight on the outside of her knees to get her hips and butt working. No doubt she would be onto its 'slutty' twin next, the adductor machine which was essentially the same but the resistance was on the inside of her legs and would worker her inner thighs. How Rangiku loved those machines, for many reasons including the fact she could sit on her phone while she did it.

Ignoring her, Toshiro picked up a squat bar deciding it was time to do some squats of his own and he loaded on each size the amount of weight he wanted to use. Legs and glutes were possibly the most important muscles required for his sport, as well as his core, so weighted squats were an essential element of his work out regime. He popped on his fingerless gloves which he kept in his shorts pockets and picked up the bar. The gloves gave him extra grip and helped to prevent callouses. Lifting the bar over his shoulders and resting it comfortable along the top of his back, Toshiro stared at himself in the mirror and began to squat, eyes scanning his form to make sure his positioning was perfect. His posture was incredibly important, especially with a weight across his shoulders; it needed to be excellent to both prevent injury and maximise muscle targeting. He liked to repetitions of fifty between short breaks, and would generally go for forty minutes to an hour, depending on how he was feeling.

Heart still racing from his HIIT sprinting on the treadmills, Toshiro sunk into his first squat in the first set and off he went. Without the distraction of Rukia, Toshiro managed to get his mind back in the game and continued working, feeling the burn in his thighs and butt.

It was around the thirty minute mark and his sixth set of fifty squats that Toshiro spotted Rukia as she popped into the corner of the mirror's reflection. She was filling up her water bottle and staring at him but Toshiro forced himself to continue with his set, hoping it was providing a bit of a show for her.

Apparently it had, because Rukia was staring so much she forgot about stopping the water flow filling her bottle and it had since overflowed onto her feet. She blushed bright red as she quickly jumped back a little, letting go of the tap and stopping the water flow.

Toshiro burst out in silent laughter, his entire core shaking so violently he had to step out of his squat early and pray he didn't drop his barbell over his back. It was just too funny, especially since he had just embarrassed himself in front of her too. _Far out_, they were both as bad as each other. It did turn him on a little further though, knowing the show of his squats had been enough to do that too her.

The dark haired beauty made a quick escape and Toshiro turned back to the mirror needing another minute to regain himself. His humour didn't last too long though, for when he glanced back in Rangiku's direction she was smirking at him and mouthing the words 'I saw that'. Of course she did; she spends almost every waking minute staring at her phone and yet always manages to glance up just as he needed privacy most.

Ignoring her again, Toshiro pulled himself back together and continued with his squats. It was hard to concentrate though, seeing Rukia again had reawakened that primal need to feel her again and he wanted to go find out what she was working out now. He forced himself to stay for the minimum forty minutes and an extra five but he didn't make it to his an hourly goal. Safely putting the barbell back on the ground, Toshiro removed the weights and returned everything before grabbing his water bottle and finishing off the last of it. He went to the same tap Rukia had used and filled it back up before wandering off in the direction Rukia had scurried off in, hoping to find the raven haired skater around.

He found her performing lunges around the corner and made sure to play it cool, still feeling the smug satisfaction that she had been so enticed by him she had forgotten what she was doing.

He sauntered up to her, slowly screwing the lid of his drink bottle back on and looking down at it as he spoke.

"Didn't spill a single drop," he commented dryly and feeling her glaring eyes on him.

Moving over to the yoga mats, Toshiro picked one up and returned to Rukia, rolling his mat out near hers. He was about to drop down to work on his core when his phone buzzed annoyingly in his pocket.

Taking it out, Toshiro rolled his eyes when he saw replies to Rangiku's video in their Whistler Gang group chat.

**Yachiru, 17:52pm: **_AWWWWWW! That's so cute (heart eyes) (red heart)_  
_I WANT A BOYFRIEND LIKE TOSHII!_  
**Ikkaku, 17:54pm: **_Pls let me be there when you tell your dad that (crying laughter)_  
_Onya bro, go get her Tiger (wink) (wink) (smirk)_  
**Yumichika, 17:54: **_OMG __** Yachiru**__ I TOTALLY AGREE! (Crying) (crying) (crying) I'm so jealous of that girl! I just want a man to kiss me like that… (thinking face) Well, I just want Toshiro to kiss me like that (wink)._

**Ikkaku has left the conversation.**

**Yumichika, 17:55pm: **_(crying laughter)_

Toshiro smirked and added Ikkaku back into the chat.

**Toshiro added Ikkaku to the conversation.**

**Toshiro, 17:56pm: **_Sorry __** Yumichika**__ but I'll let you know if it doesn't work out with Rukia (wink)_

Instantly, Yumichika was typing again.

**Yumichika, 17:57pm: **_ Not sure if delighted or offended._  
**Ikkaku, 17:57pm: **_You're blush says you're delighted._  
**Yumichika, 17:57pm: **_(blush)_

Chuckling and rolling his eyes again, Toshiro slipped his phone back in his pocket, his eyes wandered back over Rukia who was mid-lunge, her muscles doing exquisite things. He wondered if she was going to enjoy the next phase of his work out as much as she had enjoyed the squats.

Moving over the mat, Toshiro dropped down into the plank position and kept his back straight while his arms bent at the elbow, his body sinking down and the rising back up. Push ups were great for working a variety of muscles in the upper arms, chest and abdomen, and Toshiro knew that the Rukia would be able to see his arm muscles working, especially in his sleeveless shirt. He tried to concentrate, resorting to staring down at his mat and muttering his rep count but his mind kept slipping back to Rukia, wondering if she was sinking down into another lunge or doing something else. Maybe she was staring at him again and that was perfectly okay too.

When he did glance up at the mirror to see her reflection again, he found her doing exactly that – staring, her violet eyes dark with lust and hunger, her lips parted slightly as she watched him. He smirked at her because firstly it was amusing to see her so wrapped up in watching him workout and secondly because_ fuck _it turned him on to have her stare at him. The sexual tension was building strongly between them and Toshiro could only imagine what they were going to do to each other once they were alone. It seemed sex was definitely on the table for the night. Well, not literally on the table, although that would be great too – more likely, Toshiro would fuck her on or against the first available surface. Fuck, now he was just as turned on and very soon he would have a visible boner. Not exactly what you want at a gym, even if it was mostly empty.

Despite the threat of embarrassment, Toshiro was tempted to tease Rukia even more and after a moment he paused his push ups in order to strip off his shirt, giving her the full show of what his body was doing at each push up. Up and down his body went, his muscles burning on the inside and Rukia's intense gazing burning him from the outside.

If this was a game, he was winning it, but to be fair, he thought he was winning any time Rukia spent time with him because every time she came back to him, he was ahead of every other man.

Continuing through his push ups while knowing she was watching him intently, Toshiro gave it his best show. He wanted to remind her of his body, maybe even imagine herself slipping under him and having him turn his push ups into thrusts. He wanted to remind her of what he could offer her, hoping it would be enough to hold on to her. It must have been right? She could have been anywhere that afternoon and with anyone, but instead she had chosen to visit him at training and then go to the gym with him. She hadn't been obliged to follow Isshin's orders and yet here she was, ogling his body as he pushed himself up and down in front of her.

However, it wasn't long before Rukia turned the tables back on him.

Toshiro felt her move away without looking and when glancing up to see where she had gone, he found her retrieving her own yoga mat and lying it against the wall. She used the mat for what it was actually intended, that was yoga, and folded herself first into the famous downward facing dog pose.

_Holy-_

Her ass was right up and Toshiro could only stare at it, his body frozen. He was no longer doing push ups, but he had stopped in the plank position and at least that would still work out his core while he watched Rukia. He was completely enticed by her as she drew herself into a second position, her eyes fluttering closed while she breathed long and deep. Toshiro's face went slack, his jaw dropping uselessly as she then moved into a position that just basically screamed doggy style, and Toshiro didn't think that was his mind warping something perfectly innocent either, that it genuinely was a very sexual looking yoga pose and Rukia knew it too.

Of course, he couldn't help but wonder briefly if he would ever get to take Rukia in that position.

Oh _gods_, he really couldn't have thoughts like that at a gym.

_Get back to work!_

However, telling himself to move was almost useless, his body refusing to cooperate, instead preferring to watch the pretty girl do sexual yoga poses. Not that Toshiro could blame himself, even as Rukia caught him staring, because _fuck_ it was just too hot not to look at.

Needing to do something that either forced him to work out or allowed him to up his game in front of Rukia, but preferably both simultaneously, Toshiro forced himself to stand, moving to collect the biggest dumbbell he could manage and returned to sit on the stairs well within Rukia's line of vision. He began to curl, getting his bicep popping as Rukia stared from her pose. Even the gym music was becoming highly erotic and doing nothing to cool him and Rukia off. If anything, it was turning them on further as they stared at each other, knowing exactly what their actions were doing to the other person.

Rukia seemed to shiver too, her whole body shuddering a little as she watched him. She got her revenge quickly though, twisting her body and sinking down in the splits, without even the slightest of painful winces. Toshiro lost count of his reps completely, although he wasn't convinced he had been counting right to begin with, especially as Rukia then leaned over her front leg to grab her sneaker, her body lying flat across her thigh and showing of her flexibility for him once.

Toshiro was highly aware that if she held the position but rolled onto her back, it would be the exact same position he had fucked her in on night one, the one that had driven them both to their first orgasm with each other.

That thought was well and truly enough to get his dick hardening and a small tent appearing in his shorts. He couldn't bring himself to care though, the thought of fucking her on the gym floor stronger than any embarrassment. Again, the gym was almost entirely empty, and with that in mind it was seriously taking all of Toshiro's self-control to remain seated on that step.

That control was slipping though. Every second felt like he was a tree branch with a giant split through it, each gust of wind splitting it wider and longer and soon it would just snap.

Rukia turned her head back to look at him and Toshiro was sure he was just staring at her like some kind of wild animal, which in turn seemed to make Rukia's eyes darken a little. She wanted him too, he could tell, and the way they were headed, it was going to be rough.

Standing back up, Rukia got out of her splits and moved over to the wall, placing her hands on it and stretching out her hips. It gave Toshiro the most delicious view of her ass once again and he had to force his brain to count his reps in order not to stand and move over to the wall, pinning Rukia against it while he pulled down her leggings and slipped inside her. Gods, he was turning into a fucking animal.

The tent in his pants became more obvious as the rock hard shaft inside twitched painfully, begging to be touched. Rukia turned back to look at him and it was clear that there had been a definite shift in the mood between them – all traces of playful teasing was gone, they were too turned on now. It was getting to the business end of things, both of them too far gone for this not to end in a raw, rough fuck.

That's when Rukia left, running off and leaving Toshiro to sit with his boner, all worked up and confused as he swapped the dumbbell to the other arm. Maybe she was going to take care of things herself? That was an incredibly hot image but Toshiro would have preferred to see it in person. To be fair, there was no way he would have been able to just watch though, he would have to get involved and maybe Rukia had known that too, hence why she had run off.

He was only a few seconds away from disappearing himself to have a shower which would ultimately serve as a rather disappointing end to his erection, but then Rukia returned, her eyes still dark with possession, hunger and lust.

Smirking slightly, her eyes drifting down to his boner, Rukia casually lifted her leg against the wall, splitting her legs perfectly again and drawing Toshiro's eyes to the strain of her leggings over her pelvis.

A low, dangerous growl tore from his throat before he could stop it, his eyes sweeping over the rest of her form including that tight butt. His dick twitched once again and Toshiro was sure even Rukia had spotted that one.

Fuck, they needed to be alone right now.

As if reading his mind, Rukia spoke up for the first time since they had been on the treadmills together.

"The girls showers are completely empty," she told him and the suggestion was clear in her voice; she wanted them to go have sex there and Toshiro didn't need telling twice.

He dropped his weight and his shirt was probably still there somewhere but he didn't care, taking Rukia's hand and leading them into the women's change room. If Rangiku was around and watching, he couldn't bring himself to care. His thoughts were too busy only thinking of Rukia and all the things he wanted to do to her but probably wouldn't, the needs for them to climax becoming too pressing to go fancy about it. Gods, they were about to fuck in a gym shower, there wasn't going to be a single thing elegant about it.

They entered the room and Rukia guided them to the showers and once the empty cubicle was in sight, the thought of knowing how close he was to being inside Rukia again, that branch of his tree finally caught a gust of wind powerful enough to break it. Everything turned a shade darker and Toshiro's just snapped.

Somehow he managed to get the door locked before he was pushing Rukia unceremoniously against the shower wall and lifting her off her feet. His mouth latched onto her neck while her legs wrapped instantly around his waist. Toshiro felt possessed, like he couldn't stop himself – although he definitely would if she asked him too, but it would take all of his strength. His thoughts were muddled incoherently, the only ones that made sense were so fleeting he barely had time to register them. He didn't need to catch every thought though because they were all along the same lines; he needed her. Licking and biting her neck, Toshiro groaned and grunted with every new bit of skin he tasted; it was that same Rukia taste he'd come familiar with but fuck was it addictive.

He had never understood addiction before but now he was starting to.

Finger nails dug into his bare back, spurring him on. Toshiro's movements became more desperate as he practically mauled her throat. Rukia certainly wasn't objecting though, her hands sliding into his hair and tugging – something she was aware was a major turn on for him. He moaned long and low, the sound coming from deep within him. It was time to move things along, and Toshiro's hand found the hem of her shirt and he began to pull it up, but it kept getting stuck between Rukia's body and the wall he had her pressed up against. His brain wasn't working and Toshiro was getting just about close to tearing the fabric off her body. Despite the sexual demon possessing his body, Toshiro managed to refrain from doing that, stepping back from the wall with an extremely irritated growl.

His lips left her neck and his demand came out barked.

"Off."

More amused than he was, Rukia flashed him a smirk as she twisted and wormed her way out of her shirt; she made it look so difficult, despite all the (one inch of) room he had so generously given her. Her arm reached behind her and there was a silent pop as her bra jumped forward, the straps falling over her shoulders. Rukia was pulling it off and bearing her chest to him but Toshiro's attention was diverted to where a condom – one of _his_ condoms – had slipped out and fallen to the tiled floor with a soft crinkle of its packaging. Had it always been in her bra or had she put it in there when she had disappeared just before telling him the bathrooms were free? It didn't matter, and Toshiro pushed Rukia back into the wall, his lips on her neck again as he registered how lucky it was that she had it with her because he certainly hadn't thought of bringing a condom to training or the gym. He didn't want to know what they would have done if neither of them had one on them.

"You can't fuck me while I'm half dressed," Rukia told him through a gasp; if she was trying to project humour, she was failing on delivery because her voice sounded as breathless as he felt.

Toshiro groaned again, knowing this time he would have to put her down completely so that her tights could be removed. Clothes were a nuisance, he decided. Free the nipple? Why stop there? Free it all! It would make desperate sex much quicker to achieve.

With a pained look, Toshiro lowered Rukia back to the floor and stepped away, allowing her the space to get her tights off. His pain was apparently of high amusement to her as she smirked at him again in a way that only made him want to fuck her harder, to wipe the smug satisfaction off her face and have her mewling against him, moaning his name loudly into the empty bathrooms.

All too slowly, Rukia kicked off her shoes while Toshiro ran a restless hand through his hair to restrain himself from just pulling her tights down himself. Finally the leggings came off and Toshiro learned that what she had said about not wearing underwear was completely true. He allowed himself a moment to hungrily drink in the sight of her naked body once more, never getting over how truly spectacular it was, but soon Rukia was tugging at his shorts, prompting him to get a move on.

Doing as he was silently told, Toshiro yanked down his bottoms, shorts and boxers in one go, and removed them while awkwardly kicking off his sneakers and socks at the same time. He bent down to sweep his clothes out of the way and picked up the condom while he was down there. They would be needing it very soon.

The reminder of how amazing it was about to feel with himself inside the Irish skating star, Toshiro resumed their previous position, this time with his lips on hers instead of her throat. The kiss was raw, desperate and needy, all the things he was feeling about her thrown into a deep and messy exchange.

Fingers moving automatically to her entrance, Rukia gasped as the first one slipped in easy_. Fuck, she was so wet_. She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

The muscles of her inner walls constricted against him on and off, more so when he slipped a second finger in just as easily. The way she was clinching against him had him moaning into her mouth at the thought of her clamping against something more sensitive than his fingers. Despite the crazy chaotic kiss he was engaged in, his fingers pumped slowly, scissoring and stretching her open for him. In fact, kissing went mostly out of the window as he concentrated down below, making sure she would be ready for his size.

They were both panting and sweating now and Rukia's scent infiltrated his senses, sending a hot flush through his body and a string of low grunts that came out with each pant.

"Toshiro," she groaned lowly into his mouth, their lips close but disconnected as they breathed heavily against one another.

He twisted and curled his fingers inside her in response, causing her to gasp.

The third finger slipped in effortlessly and Rukia moaned at that, louder than any sound either of them had made so far. It made him shudder with pleasure – or it would have, if it weren't for a terribly familiar sound interrupting them.

It was a giggle he knew too well and dreaded on a regular basis. One that haunted his dreams at night and sometime he even heard it when she wasn't around, like when you think you've heard your phone vibrate but it hadn't.

"I knew you two wouldn't be working out," Rangiku's satisfied and amused voice sung from the other side of their cubicle door.

Toshiro's whole body turned to ice. He was frozen, and the sudden wave of coldness over his body had his boner dying below him. It shrunk and Toshiro thought it might actually invert inside his body; obviously his dick wanted to get as far away from that traumatising voice as possible.

How long had she been listening? _Fuck_, did she hear the way Toshiro had been grunting and groaning like a satanic sex animal? There was nothing more humiliating than that thought.

"Rangiku?" Rukia asked, blinking out of her aroused state too.

"Do you need condoms? Lube?" Rangiku asked, sounding like that 'cool' mum from that Mean Girls movie she loved. "I stopped off and bugged Ichigo until he let me in to get you guys some, don't worry I have you covered!"

Toshiro heard her slip something under the door and groaned, head falling onto Rukia's shoulder for a moment as he put her down, his fingers removed from her wet entrance. This was definitely the most embarrassing moment of his life. He was cold and yet his cheeks were flaming hot, his whole face felt like it was on fire. Toshiro just wanted to curl into a ball in the bottom of the shower and thud his head softly against the tiled wall.

"Are you two having fun?" Rangiku asked, voice innocent but no doubt her face would be alight with mischief.

Toshiro clenched his jaw as his hands came up to cover his burning face. He was no longer aroused and wouldn't be surprised if he never got aroused again.

He felt Rukia's eyes on his face before they swept down his body and likely saw the lack of heat downstairs.

"Rangiku!" the dark haired woman snapped quickly to which Rangiku, of course, simply giggled.

"Is he getting stage fright?" Rangiku asked humorously. "Sorry, I'll go."

Groaning again, Toshiro wondered when this humiliating torture would be over because even when Rangiku did then leave, albeit with a very satisfied laugh, his embarrassment did not go away. Now it was awkward and uncomfortable as silence passed over him and Rukia now that they were alone, neither of them moving back to their previous positions. That was something he never wanted to feel with Rukia and more importantly, never wanted her to feel with him. He wanted to spend every second of every day with her and yet in that moment, he wanted to be anywhere else and preferably alone.

"Toshiro," Rukia called him, her warm hands over his and trying to pry his fingers away from his eyes but he held on.

She didn't give up on him though.

"Don't you dare stop," she said, voice becoming playful even though it was still tinged with awkwardness, "that was shaping up to be some of the best sex in my life."

A small chuckle slipped from his lips that he couldn't stop, but it did help to ease some of the tension in his body; she still wanted him, she wasn't perturbed by a little Rangiku interference (a key quality needed for a woman to date Toshiro Shiba). Peeking between slightly separated fingers, Toshiro saw Rukia smirking at him again, but this time it was more amused than smug.

"Have I ever told you how unfairly attractive you are?" Rukia grinned and Toshiro couldn't help but match her smile.

Yes she had, at the bar the night they had played Never Have I Ever. Well, her exact words had been _"You've got a great voice, great face, sporting talent, a big dick and you're good in bed, you don't get to be kind too, that's just not fair_," and that seemed like the same thing. Of course, she didn't know how much those words could be true for her – obviously not the big dick part, otherwise she would be more her brother's cup of tea than his.

Thin dainty fingers were back over his and pulling, this time he let her peel his hands off his face and he smiled sheepishly down at her.

Rukia then winked at him, "How about a blowjob?"

That had him choking on his own tongue, especially as Rukia didn't wait for an answer as she started placing little kisses over and down his chest. She created a fiery trail that was heading south and slowly she sunk down onto her knees, exploring the ridges of his abs with her lips as she went. Her actions sent a shiver, a good shiver, down his spine as his muscles tightened and finally, his dick twitched with interest again, blood slowly poured back in. Rukia's pink lips latched onto his skin and sucked harshly at the top of his V muscle on the left hand side and it was clear she had decided to leave her own mark on him. That was a possessive thing to do that had Toshiro groaning softly and his hand sliding into her hair to spur her on; he was being marked by Rukia Kuchiki, like she was saying he was hers and hers alone, just as he wanted.

His cock was half hard again by the time she reached for it and took it into her mouth. Hot wetness engulfed him and Toshiro moaned softly at the feeling.

"Yes," he breathed as he watched Rukia work on him, her violet eyes opening and glancing up at him.

Growing more and more aroused, Toshiro's cock finally worked up to full size again and the struggle for Rukia to fit it in her mouth became more apparent but she compromised by using her hands to stroke the bottom of the shaft, keeping the rhythm on par with that of her bobbing. Soon she moved to sucking harshly on its' head, her tongue bar doing the insane wiggling thing she had done to him below the table in the bar several nights ago. As it was, this was only his second proper blowjob in his life and it was feeling fucking amazing. The throaty moan tearing from his throat would have told Rukia her work was being well received and Toshiro soon found himself leaning over her and bracing himself against the wall for stability. Still, he couldn't look away, her lips wrapped around him providing quite the sight.

Barely any women he had been with had even attempted to suck him off and of the ones that had tried, none had been able to do it or persevere long enough to get much of a reaction from him. Of course he didn't want to force any girl to do anything for him, but it was still a bit of a blow to his self-confidence. It seemed _bigger_ _dicks_ did not equal _better dicks. _

A resounding slap of skin on skin echoed loudly around the women's bathroom and Toshiro's ass jerked forward suddenly, his dick thrusting into Rukia's mouth, as a painful sting spread over his ass cheek.

Toshiro's eyes bulged as he stared down at her. Had she just-

Had she just _spanked him?!_

Holy fuck. Of course, it was something she had learned about him in the hot tub last night; along with having his hair pulled, Toshiro liked to spank a woman's ass as a kink that got him going. Rukia had just slapped him though… was that indicating that maybe he could give her a spank too? Ohhhh Jesus, that was too big of a thought for him to process right now. That was too unbelievable to comprehend-

Another smack was heard as Rukia spanked his ass again, this time much harder and more resolute. She knew exactly what she was doing, exactly what she had implying and exactly how Toshiro was interpreting this to mean. He had the green light for spanking her and that re-awoke the sexual animal in him.

His hand slipped back into her ebony hair and fisted it at the roots. Tugging her back, but not to the extent he was hurting her, Rukia's mouth was pulled away from his cock. Her lips free again, Toshiro leaned down and crushed their mouths together. He was back, that demon inside him that had wild plans to fuck Rukia senseless, and Toshiro pulled the tiny woman back into his arms and up against the wall once more. Apparently glad to have this animalistic side of him back, Rukia seemed to completely pliable to his desires, so far from the control freak that ran the show during their first time together.

Time to test the waters, Toshiro used one hand to keep her held up and stable against the wall while the other groped her ass, getting familiar with his favourite part of her body – on a sexual level, anyway. Pulling back that hand, Toshiro snapped it back, smacking that bare ass firmly as the sound echoed again.

_Fucking hell!_

Toshiro had to pull back from the kiss to gasp, feeling the jiggle of her ass resonate beneath his splayed fingertips as a dollop of pre-cum definitely oozed out of his highly interest cock. He didn't know why something like that could bring him so much pleasure but _holy shit, that had felt so incredible!_

"Fuck," he panted breathlessly; it was even better than he imagined and the whole thing sent a highly pleasurable wave rolling from his head to his toes.

If Rukia liked it or not, she didn't say but there was no indication that she hated it or wanted to stop, and Toshiro was confident that she would tell him if she was uncomfortable.

Reconnecting their lips, Toshiro put off a second spank in favour of getting on with things, want to bring both himself and Rukia to an equally pleasurable state. She had said they were heading to some of the best sex of her life and Toshiro definitely wanted to be the man that took that title.

He also needed to get his dick into something hot and wet again before it burst on its own.

The hand that had spanked her instead slipped between her legs again and Toshiro didn't waste time, slipping all three fingers back in, knowing she could take it. On cue, Rukia groaned into his mouth appreciatively.

They were kissing passionately and wildly again, tongues dancing a quick and erotic grind. Toshiro was so lost in her, he found himself giving zero fucks about Rangiku hearing them earlier or the fact they were getting down and dirty in a gym locker room shower of all god damn places. He had one thought – Rukia. It wasn't a matter of simply wanting her anymore, he_ needed_ her and he needed her right now. He was so beyond desperate to feel her again.

Stretching and prepping her as fast and as thoroughly as he could, Toshiro tore away from the kiss, looking down as his eyes searched the floor madly for that condom again. Rukia's hand pressed into his chest and he spotted both the condom and the lube Rangiku must have slipped under the door for them. Well, at least she had been helpful in one way, even if her visit had almost derailed the entire thing.

Smirking down at Rukia, Toshiro took the condom from her hand and ripped it open with his teeth. Still feeling the urgency of the situation, Toshiro hurried to roll the thing on before he snatched the lube out of Rukia's hand too and repeated the process until he was all slathered up.

Fucking finally.

The head of his cock aligned with her teasingly hot entrance as his lips found hers and carefully, he pushed inside her. His mouth swallowed most of the pleasured sounds she made as he pushed further in; he wouldn't get as deep as he could on a horizontal surface but Rukia wasn't fazed at all, moaning, groaning and gasping into his mouth.

"Fuck yes, Toshiro," she groaned lowly as she pulled her lips away, her head flopping uselessly against the shower wall as she seemed to let the feeling radiate through her body.

It never got old hearing his name from her panting lips and Toshiro began thrusting as soon as he was able to in response. It took a minute to get the right angle and rhythm going but soon they were both comfortable and that's when he let go of any final ties to his humanity.

He fucked her with everything he had, his pelvis slamming her into the shower wall time and time again.

There was grunting and mewling. There were groans and moans. Toshiro couldn't tell the sounds he was making from the sounds Rukia was spilling, but either way, it sounded like two wild animals going at it in the bush late at night. It was so fucking hot and it felt just beyond good, to a whole new zenith of sexual pleasure.

Pounding her like his life depended on it, Toshiro readjusted her weight into his other arm so he could keep going at her.

It was so raw. Skin slapped against skin, bodies slammed against walls, and crazed animalistic moans tore from their throats. It was smart of them to go against the tiled gym wall below the shower head, because if they had chosen to go against either side of the cubicle walls or the door, they probably would have knocked the whole thing over, that's how hard he was thrusting into her right now. He had to believe she wasn't in any real pain, because Rukia would surely speak up if she was and Toshiro would pull back instantly. It didn't appear to be the case though, as the Irish woman spilled moan after moan, mouth open and panting.

His lips pulled away from hers, since they had given up actually kissing a while ago now, and instead set his sights on her neck again. Rukia tilted her head to give him better access and groaned as he bit her softly.

Toshiro slapped that toned ass again and felt it wobble beneath his hand, causing him to groan into her neck

"F-fuck," Rukia was the one to gasp this time, the second spank having much more of an effect on her than the first, sending a spark of pleasure up Toshiro's spine at the thought him spanking her was something she could like too.

And like it she must have, because her inner walls were clamping down on him tightly, filling his vision with white spots and fast tracking his climax from getting there to crossing the finish line in an instant. Fuck, he was too close now, the finish line ribbon about to break open. He definitely wasn't going to make it to her orgasm, not even if he slowed now. It was too late, the orgasm already starting when he spanked her a final time.

The third spank had his body freezing as the possibly the biggest orgasm of his life tore through his body and left his muscles to spasm wildly beneath his skin. His teeth sunk into Rukia's neck again without his conscious approval, biting back the moan.

_Shit._

_Far out, holy fucking shit._

There were no real words to describe the feeling, definitely no polite words.

"Fuck," Toshiro groaned, chuckling sheepishly.

He had pulled back now and his soft cock had fallen out of her. He glanced down at her with guilt in his eyes, well aware he had selfishly pushed himself to orgasm before getting her off.

"Well that was fast," Rukia smirked, causing Toshiro to flush in embarrassment.

"Cut me some slack," he defended, eyes sweeping over her delectable frame. "I've wanted to spank you since the moment I first saw you."

The corner of her lips twitched and Toshiro sensed another remark coming but it would die there. He picked her up again and turned back around quickly, carrying her to a small ledge where Rukia's clothes were resting.

"What are you-?"

Toshiro placed her down on the ledge, shoving all the clothes out of the way. He turned, removing the condom quickly and gathered it up with the wrappers for them to throw out later. Then the snowboarder turned back to the shower, reaching for the tap and turning on the water. The spray erupted from the head and splatted noisily against the tiled floor. Perfect.

"What are you doing?" Rukia asked.

"Just thought you wouldn't want to be heard," Toshiro answered simply, although there was definitely a touch of smugness in his mind.

It was time to make her feel what he felt.

Moving between her legs and hovering over her, Toshiro leaned down to kiss her again. Still obviously very confused, Rukia took his lips anyway, responding as his tongue dipped into her mouth to explore. Meanwhile, his fingers took up residency at her entrance again and Toshiro broke from the kiss, slipping down further to suck on her left nipple instead while his fingers sunk back inside her.

He searched for her sweet spot and found it, her head thudding limply against the ledge in response. Continuing with his work, Toshiro kept his fingers curling in to her sensitive spots, his mouth sucking her nipple harshly while his free hand groped her other breast. Soon she was moaning loudly into the cubicle, muffled by the sound of the shower running.

Adding his thumb on her clit to the mix, Rukia gasped in pleasure, letting him know her orgasm was building. He built more speed and pressed a little harder, switching breasts and biting her right nipple. It was enough to push her over the edge and she called his name, her back arching beautifully into his hold. Leaning back to watch her come down, Toshiro smiled as he continued to stroke her clit and inner walls, helping her ride the wave of her orgasm for as long as possible. She was just so gorgeous, and seeing the effect his actions had on her body made him so proud.

She was just the most beautiful, elegant creature. Toshiro wanted to hold her night and day. Lying across her, Toshiro rested his chin in her sternum between her breasts and continued to smile softly at the woman below him as she came back down to Earth.

It seemed now that the long built sexual tension was put to rest, Toshiro was back to being a pathetic, attached, crushing mess of a human who just wanted to take his girl to bed and cuddle her all night long.

What a loser he was.

"I didn't think," Rukia struggled to regain her breath, "that you'd finish me off after."

"What?" Toshiro asked, a slight dip I his brown forming. "Hasn't any of your other boyfriends done that for you before?"

Rukia flushed and Toshiro frowned in confusion.

"I've never," she spoke so quietly. "I've never had a boyfriend."

Immediately she slipped off the ledge and under the spray of the shower, Toshiro stepping back to let her past but he soon followed her under the spray. The warm water was blissful against his skin, washing away the sweat from both working out and sex, but Toshiro's focus remained on Rukia.

She had never had a boyfriend? At twenty-five years of age?

It was hard to believe, since she was so incredibly gorgeous and fun to be around. Although, based of the things he knew about her, he supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised; she slept around a lot, never wanting to get attached, she found conversation difficult especially as it got more personal and emotional, and she had closed herself off from just about everyone but her best friend, not to mention that she was constantly training and travelling to compete. Toshiro had zero doubt in his mind that it was Rukia who didn't want a boyfriend, not men not wanting her – Toshiro would be calling her his girlfriend right now if she would let him.

Under the spray of the shower, Toshiro stared down at her, apprehension filling his chest.

"Would you ever want one?" he asked. "A boyfriend, I mean."

Rukia hesitated in her answer.

"I-I guess I never thought about it," she answered vaguely. "What about you? Why are you single?"

The conversation turned around on him quickly and Toshiro shrugged.

"I was dating this girl, Momo, for over three years," he admitted. "We broke up about seven months ago. Since then, I've been too focused on the Olympics to date anyone."

Rukia seemed thoughtful for a while after his response and instead of replying, she took to washing him instead. With soapy hands she lathered him up, washing all the sweat from his body, and Toshiro smiled softly down at her; this was very intimate, soothing and, though he wouldn't tell he this, it was almost very domestic.

"I'll admit I'm surprised I thought for sure someone as perfect as you should have a girlfriend but if you broke up and wanted to focus on the Olympics I guess that makes sense," Rukia said at last, "I never decided to not have a boyfriend, I just didn't have time for one you know? I guess... I wouldn't say I'd be opposed to it, I just never really thought of it..."

"I didn't break up with Momo because of the Olympics," Toshiro smiled sadly. "I loved having a girlfriend, there's nothing better than coming home after a hard day of training to that kind of comfort and affection, but she grew very possessive, to the point she was lying about being pregnant and accusing me of cheating on every girl I knew, including my sister."

He still gagged at that idea.

"I don't miss Momo," Toshiro chuckled half-heartedly, "but I do miss coming home to someone every night."

"She pretended... cheating with your sister?" she snorted. "Not to judge your taste in women but... she sounds like a nutcase. I'm sorry that happened to you..."

She was turning him around so she could was his back and Toshiro hummed contently, loving her soft hands running over him. It wasn't the first intimate moment they'd had while naked, not even the first caring moment they'd had while naked but it was both intimate and caring and for the first time, there wasn't the expectation of sex to follow. They had already done it, and Rukia wasn't running away this time. She was staying with him and washing his body of all things.

Toshiro chuckled at her words.

"She's definitely a nut case," Toshiro smirked at the wall, "but she did love me, even if it was a twisted and painful type of love."

He rolled his eyes and turned back to Rukia, hoping to return the favour and change the topic. He took the soap bar out of her hands and started to run it all over her, just as she had done to him. He was being as gentle as he could with her, despite the fact he had been ramming her into the wall only moments ago.

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" he asked the same question he had earlier, hoping he would get a response this time. "It's okay, be honest."

"Not good," Rukia mumbled as she slumped her shoulders a little and Toshiro could see the stress she had been holding there. "Probably the most nervous I've been about a competition in years..."

Toshiro grimaced; he knew all about pre-performance anxiety, although he had never been about to change his run behind his coaches back. Landing the back to back double corked 1440s was the biggest thing he had ever had to do trick-wise in competition, but even then, he had watch Hanataro land one just before him and Ikkaku land the back to back 1440s so it wasn't as much of a huge deal, not compared to Rukia going for a quad Lutz, besides Toshiro didn't throw his tricks into his run until he was completely positive he could land them.

"How much do you want to win gold this year?" Toshiro asked. "I bet there's a lot of pressure from home for you to."

"Yeah," Rukia sighed, turning around so Toshiro could wash her back now. "I try to stay away from the internet though, I find that I don't care much for what people have to say about me, although I have found a lot of fun recently in this trending RukiShiro tag."

Toshiro snorted, "I can't believe how much it has taken off."

He continued washing her back and shoulders until he was satisfied with the job he'd done. Putting down the soap, Toshiro let the water rinse away to suds off her skin before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her middle. His face was under the spray but he didn't mind closing his eyes. He pressed a small kiss to the back of her neck, just above where her tattoo started.

"I know you'll medal tomorrow, and I'll be there to watch," Toshiro told her softly, "and if you don't win the gold, everyone is still going to be so proud of you. You've had an amazing career and missing one gold won't make you any less successful."

"Gold," she scoffed, surprising him, "I don't care about winning gold, I want to land my jump. Gold medals don't comfort you at night."

Toshiro turned his head, pressing his cheek against the top ridge of her spine and listened as she continued, her voice growing soft and just a fraction tighter

"They aren't there to help when you're sick. They don't talk to you when you feel lonely, they don't care if you're laughing or crying," she told him. "All my golds have been gathering dust for years now, there's no comfort in them anymore. For too many years I've relied on the feeling of winning to distract me from the things I lack in my life, just one more... just one more gold... one more world title, one more Olympic medal... the next one, the next one, the next one will make me feel better. Will take the pain for my sister's death away."

Toshiro's arms tightened around her, the reminder of what she had been through cutting his heart in two.

"Sorry that got very heavy," Rukia chuckled a bit. "Just being here with you and Rangiku and Gin and seeing you and your family... I'm starting to see there's so much more to life I want."

"You're lonely," Toshiro murmured against her instantly. "I know that feeling too well. It's awful. That's why I put up with Momo for so long, because I was scared to go back to feeling lonely."

He straightened back up and turned Rukia around. He could see the sadness in her eyes and smiled softly at her, brushing her hair away and reaching down to kiss her gently. She had voluntarily opened up to him and Toshiro appreciated that so much, but he wasn't sure what he could say to make her feel better.

When he pulled back, he didn't go far, resting his forehead against hers.

"You have your brother and Gin and if you let them in, you won't feel so isolated," he murmured, very aware he was being hypocritical since he never opened up to his family if he could avoid it, "and you'll have me for as long as you want. Rangiku too, but I'm not sure why you'd want that menace around."

The last bit was a bit of joke and he smirked to prove it, but it was really to deflect the bit about himself being around for as long as she wanted. He wished he could just tell her that he wanted to date her seriously, but he didn't want to push his luck, especially while her emotions were all over the place today with her looming free skate finals.

"Thank you," Rukia murmured, her face unreadable as she stood on her tippy toes to kiss him gently.

It seemed that was her way of wrapping up the conversation that had gotten way deeper than either of them anticipated. Instead they each washed their hair under the spray before wrapping it up and stepping out of the shower.

They had not thought this all the way through though, Toshiro realised suddenly, when he was standing naked, wet and without a towel. Rukia was kind enough to share her towel though, and Toshiro used it just to quickly pat dry, almost useless since his hair was dripping profusely.

Rukia checked that the coast was clear while Toshiro slipped on his gym shorts to give him a fraction of modesty before gathering up his shoes and socks and slipping off to the neighbouring men's locker room. There was only one other athlete in there who sent Toshiro a confused look as the snowboarder entered through the main entrance dripping wet, but Toshiro ignored it, moving straight to the locker he had left his bag in.

Drying and changing quickly, it wasn't long before Toshiro was exiting the bathrooms and moving over to where he spotted Rukia talking to Rangiku who was walking briskly on a treadmill.

"Thanks Rangiku," Toshiro greeted her as he collected his shirt and drink bottle which she had rounded up for him; he was still mad at her for interrupting them but she had supplied the lube, so he should be grateful for that at least.

He turned back to Rukia and smiled hopefully, his hand snaking around to the small of her back, "Ready to go?"

Go where, he had no idea, but as long as they were together anywhere was good.

"Sure," Rukia agreed and they set off, cutting through the hallway short cut to the canteen.

An unfamiliar voice caught them on the way out.

"Well, well, well…" the Swiss accent drawled and Toshiro turned to see a man approaching wearing large fur jacket that made him look like he had just stepped off the runway at one of those fancy celebrity fashion shows. The grin on his face was absolutely delighted to see them even though Toshiro was pretty sure he had never met this man before, although something about him was familiar. "If it isn't my favourite ship, have you two not sailed yet?"

"Hello Christophe," Rukia greeted him, sparking Toshiro's memory. "This is Toshiro Shiba, Toshiro this is Christophe, the gentleman who is helping me sort out the sound for tomorrow's performance."

Yes, he remembered now – the one that made her blush.

Still, Toshiro reached out and shook the man's hand as the Swiss man grinned at him.

"You're even more attractive in person," Christophe smirked. "It's very clear why Rukia can't seem to keep her hands off you."

"Chris," Rukia hissed quickly, cheeks flushing. Well now, if he only made her blush when he was teasing her about Toshiro, the snowboarder supposed that was alright.

"What?" he answered, voice deceitfully innocent. "It's true, besides are you trying to tell me you haven't just had sex? Please, I have a sixth sense for that kind of thing, I can practically smell it on you."

"Let's go," Rukia grabbed Toshiro's arm quickly and tugged him away before he could really register his own reaction, although he'd guess that embarrassment was at the top of his list, maybe a bit of pride.

"You're all set for tomorrow," Christophe called as they walked away hastily. "Have a _good_ night."

There was definitely a lot of meaning behind the way he emphasised 'good' and it didn't take a genius to work out what he was implying.

"How did he know?" Toshiro asked, glancing back to see the man still grinning after them, although much further away now.

"Because it's Chris," Rukia answered with a sigh. "He was the king of erotic and inappropriate skating when I was in juniors. If anyone knows, it's Chris."

Well now did remind him of someone.

"He sounds like a male version of Rangiku," Toshiro voiced, sighing a little. Regardless, it was great to meet Christophe in person and see for himself that he was really no threat to Rukia; Toshiro couldn't imagine her falling for a man wearing a coat like that, gay and married or not.

They continued walking to they reached the point between their hotels where they would have to part ways, less one of them invited the other over. It was Rukia's decision to make, Toshiro decided, not wanting to pressure her into spending more time with him if she really just wanted to be alone before tomorrow's big performance. She stopped walking, staring at the two buildings and he could see her thinking.

"Hm?" Toshiro called her softly. "Rukia?"

"Look," Rukia almost huffed, sounding embarrassed or frustrated as she looked away from him. "Did you want to come back-"

"RUKIA!"

They both looked over to where Soi Fon and Gin were approaching quickly, large grins on their faces.

"What's up, Tosh?" Gin greeted him and Toshiro smiled back, glad they had developed a new friendship after their 'bro chat' last night as Rangiku had called it.

"Hey Gin," Toshiro replied but his eyes moved back to Rukia, whatever she had been about to say was cut off.

"Rukia," Soi Fon cut in, sounding delighted. "You'll never guess who just had a nasty accident on the slopes…"

Toshiro zoned out as the three Irish athletes discussed people he didn't know and an apparent feud between some of the snowboard cross riders, the half pipe rider more interested in what Rukia had been about to say to him. Call him crazy, but it had sounded like she was about to invite him back up to her room, for something much less than sex (surely he had worn her out earlier?). He was possibly jumping the gun with that conclusion but that was what her words had been suggesting before she was cut off. Now though, it seemed the arrival of her friends had sent an awkward mood over her, the figure skater letting go of his hand and shuffling uncomfortably.

"Where's Rangiku?" Gin asked, cutting Toshiro from his Rukia trance. Soi Fon was waving at him before she turned back in the direction of her hotel.

"The gym," Toshiro answered, his hands slipping into his pockets and frowning slightly as he felt a negative pull in his stomach that told him Rukia was no longer inviting him back with her.

"Ah'll go an' get mah gym stuff then," Gin responded, his back straightening excitedly as he turned to follow Soi Fon.

Rukia seemed to fidget a little uncomfortably as she was torn between following her friends and staying with him

"Oh um, I'll see you later?" she offered weakly, confirming his theory.

"Yeah," Toshiro tried to make his deflation seem less obvious than it felt, "course you will."

Rukia turned and left too, leaving him standing alone watching her leave. Over her shoulder, she seemed to glance at him, something more in her eyes but it wasn't enough to get her to come back for him. Toshiro waited until she was out of sight before he slumped his shoulders completely and sighed; two steps forward, one step back. He was going to have to be honest with her eventually, and that thought terrified him but it was true. There was only about half a week to go now before they were expected to fly home to their countries on opposite sides of the globe, Toshiro needed to tell her how he felt and finally get an indication from her on where they actually stood. The risk was that she could very well break his heart, and he still had two event finals to go. Timing was everything but it was dwindling fast.

Returning to his own room, very much alone, Toshiro entered to find Ichigo and Renji sitting topless on the bed together, Renji's giant hands kneading Ichigo's bare shoulders with surprising gentleness.

"Should I come back later?" Toshiro frowned, hovering by the doorway awkwardly.

"Yes," Ichigo answered quickly before Renji gave his arm a soft smack.

"Nah, we're good," Renji grinned up at Toshiro, a playful eyebrow raised. "I heard you and Rukia got down and dirty at the gym?"

Toshiro's frown dipped further; _how did everyone know?!_

"Rangiku stopped by," Ichigo told him, his expression thoroughly unimpressed. "It was a huge inconvenience."

Anything to do with Toshiro's life was generally a major annoyance to Ichigo.

"Only because I was sucking you off at the time," Renji smirked, pressing a long kiss into the strawberry man's neck to which Ichigo's eyes fluttered closed and he tilted his head to give his boyfriend better access.

"Yeah, I'm leaving," Toshiro winced, preferring not to see any of his siblings like that.

Knowing he would definitely not be coming back that night, Toshiro quickly emptied his gym back and replaced it with overnight essentials and clothes for tomorrow before he was hastily exiting the room.

Needing somewhere to stay and hoping to avoid another night in Rangiku's bed, Toshiro brought out his phone and steeled himself to text Rukia, hoping to get an invite out of her. If not, it seemed he would be paying his sisters another visit.

**Toshiro, 19:42pm: **_S.O.S Ichigo and Renji are doing inappropriate things in my bedroom (face palm)_

To his delight, Rukia opened the message almost instantly and where it had said 'online' it now said 'typing'.

**Rukia, 19:43pm**: _My condolences (crying laughter) If you need a place to crash my room mate is out tonight. But it will cost you. (winky face)_

Yes! Mission impossible made somehow possible. Grinning dumbly, Toshiro typed back as fast as he could.

**Toshiro, 19:43pm:**_ Well now… it depends what it will cost (thinking face) I've not got my wallet on me. _  
_Can I pay you by another means? _

His words definitely sounded like the script of a terrible porn film but it was the language Rukia spoke and maybe that would make things easier on her. She responded quickly.

**Rukia, 19:44pm: **_You can pay me with hugs and kisses? (kiss face) _

**Toshiro, 19:45pm:**___Well now, that all depends. What are you wearing? (crying laughing) I joke, I'll see you soon beautiful! (kiss face) xxx_

A moment later, Rukia replied.

**Rukia, 19:53pm:** _[Sent Image] This is what I am wearing (kiss face)_

The picture she had attached was so unbelievably erotic, Toshiro actually dropped his phone and scrambled to pick it back up. The screen wasn't broken thank goodness, though he was more worried about a crack interrupting the picture Rukia had sent than the cost of replacing the screen.

In the picture, Rukia was posing provocatively and wearing some of her burlesque clothes, including a navy and black corset, itty bitty short shorts which gave a cheeky view of her ass cheeks and thigh-high socks. More than that, she was wearing lacy gloves and was holding a whip across her back; how was a man supposed to cope with that?

**Toshiro, 19:54:** _(heart eyes) (heart eyes) (heart eyes) That picture is mine now thank you! Along with your underwear!_

Pocketing his phone, Toshiro couldn't stop smiling as he pressed the lift button and waited for the elevator to arrive.

Spending the whole night with Rukia Kuchiki? At her hotel where she couldn't just sneak out in the middle of the night? Maybe they were taking three steps forward, instead of one back and that thought put a bounce in his step he exited the lift and waltzed through the lobby.

Over the course of the day, since he had seen her so nervous and tense on top the mountain, fearing her looming finals, Toshiro had an idea starting to form in the back of his mind. The idea had gotten stronger throughout their mini snowboarding lesson and then again during that deep conversation in the shower. When she had been too uncomfortable to invite him back to her room in front of her friends, he had started to question whether it would work and whether it was worth postponing such a gesture until after his finals when he could better handle a rejection. The only problem with postponing it would mean he wouldn't be able to execute it at her finals, which was an essential element of the plan.

Instead of heading straight to Rukia's hotel, Toshiro veered off back towards the gym, knowing exactly who he needed to speak to. If he could tell Rangiku what he wanted to do, she would get the plan in motion for him, and hopefully give him the confidence to go through with it.

See, while it might not have seemed like a big deal to many others, what Toshiro had planned meant a huge amount to him. He would be drawing inspiration from the people who mattered most to him and would have his family stand with him if he went through with it. It was something simple, maybe even casual to an onlooker, but it was Toshiro's whole heart on the line. _Wholeheartedly_, as he always was.

He found Rangiku and Gin sitting on the bikes, the silver haired man keeping a steady pace while Rangiku peddled lazily, telling a very animated story by the looks of things.

"What are you doing here?" she frowned when he approached them.

"I need your help with something," he told her seriously, ignoring as Gin's eyes darted between them, "for Rukia's free skate tomorrow."

Toshiro explained quickly what he wanted to do, knowing Rangiku would pick up on the emotional significance of his plan.

"That's huge, Bub," she breathed, surprised but her lips smiling softly. "You're sure?"

"Positive," Toshiro nodded decisively, not wanting to go back on it now that he had said it out loud.

"Ah think it's ah good idea," Gin commented from the side. "Anno she's been nervous aboot it an' could use yer support."

Rangiku nodded, "Leave it us, we'll organise it."

"Thank you," Toshiro said sincerely, so grateful for his always supportive best friend.

"Now bugger off," she chuckled, shooing him away. "Go meet your girl."

Toshiro rolled his eyes but grinned before turning and leaving, scurrying off quickly to Rukia's hotel room.

Not running into anyone on the way there, Toshiro made it up quickly, remembering where he had dropped her off after their date last week. He paused outside her door, leaning against the door frame and adjusting his position until he looked cool; "Dork!" Rangiku's voice called out in the back of his mind. Ignoring it, he knocked on the door and waited for Rukia to answer.

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a happy looking Rukia.

"Should I express disappointment?" Toshiro grinned, seeing her in the exact same clothes he had left her. "That you're not in the outfit from the picture?"

Of course he had known she was kidding, but it was still fun to tease her.

Leaning down, Toshiro pressed a quick kiss to her lips which she accepted with a chuckle before she stepped away to let him inside her room. This was the first time he had ever been to her hotel room; his eyes scanned the room hungrily, hoping to take in as much of her temporary living space as possible. The room itself was almost identical to Toshiro's in the next hotel, albeit with a different colour scheme, but unlike his and Ichigo's room, Rukia's was a mess. Not in a dirty, gross way, just in that there was just so much stuff lying around; bags, clothes, makeup, uniforms, sporting gear, the list went on.

"Ah, sorry for the mess," Rukia read his mind. "I did attempt to tidy up but when you have two women together…"

"I stay with Rangiku," Toshiro laughed. "You don't have to educate me on the mess women can make believe me."

Besides mess was usually good; it meant life – someone actually lived there, even if it was only temporary. His and Ichigo's room was so rigidly tidy, it was like a hospital room and the patient had just died.

Putting his bag down on the desk chair, Toshiro glanced between the beds, spotting a few familiar things on the bed by the window – the one that was Ichigo's bed and their room.

"Is that one yours?" he asked, pointing to it.

"Yeah," Rukia looked over at it. "How did you know?"

"The bedside table has some of the magnum condoms you stole and your phone," Toshiro answered with a smirk; he didn't get the feeling Soi Fon was the type of girl to be needing male condoms, not that he wanted to make any assumptions.

"Okay Sherlock," Rukia scoffed. "Calm down."

Toshiro laughed, "Am I okay to get dressed here?"

Rukia nodded quickly and gestured to the bathroom that he could use for privacy. Toshiro laughed and rolled his eyes; they had just fucked in a women's locker room at the gym, I think modesty was long behind them now.

"You've seen me naked a bunch of times before," Toshiro told her, removing his T-shirt over her head and hanging over the back of the chair before unbuttoning and unzipping the fly of his jeans as he kicked off his loosely laced Vans, "why would I care about you seeing me in my boxers?"

"I dunno," Rukia's voice went mischievous as Toshiro stepped out of his jeans and hung them over the chair too, "maybe if they were those little elf boxers you-"

"Yeah, yeah, alright," Toshiro rolled his eyes, reminded of those embarrassing yet comfortable Christmas boxers as he pulled of his socks and chucked them into his bag.

Turning, Toshiro moved over to Rukia's bed and crawled across it. Laying down and facing Rukia, he held out his arms for her to join him. He couldn't believe he was finally going to be able to hold her while they slept; it was a dream come true.

Rukia looked to be containing a bit of excitement too but she didn't move towards him straight away, her eyes drifting to his stuff on the chair.

"I'll just get cleaned up in the bathroom then we can watch some Netflix and order in?" she suggested.

"That sounds amazing," Toshiro smiled, lowering his arms since she was going to be a while longer.

The dark haired beauty turned towards the bathroom and headed off to change, but not without grabbing his T-shirt on the way. The bathroom door shut behind her and Toshiro was left staring at the door with a raised eyebrow, hoping her taking his clothes meant what he thought it meant.

It took a few minutes and Toshiro checked his phone in the meantime, something he regretted instantly when he saw who had messaged him most recently.

** MomoHatesToshiroShiba, 20:37pm:**  
_Asshole._

Straight and to the point then; after yesterday's text, Toshiro thought that was almost a lazy effort. Still, it had his body tensing at the reminder of the things she had said, things he had forgotten in Rukia's overwhelmingly distracting presence. Wanting nothing more than to go back to forgetting his ex and her insanity, Toshiro turned off his phone and shoved it right to the bottom of his bag. He climbed back on the bed and waited for Rukia to return and perform her magic.

And that she certainly did. When the bathroom door finally opened, it revealed Rukia in nothing but his own T-shirt, the black fabric swallowing her and hanging off her shoulders stunningly. It stopped just over her ass, giving him the full view of her thighs. It was incredible, and the idea of Rukia in his clothes, smelling him all night had him instantly forgetting about Momo. The possessive side of him reared its head again at the thought that tomorrow, Rukia might even still have his scent on her and anyone who got close enough would know.

Of course, that someone would probably have to be familiar with both of their scents but still it was a hot thought.

Joining him on the bed, Rukia crawled over to him and Toshiro took him in his arms instantly, drawing her in close and settling her between his legs, her back leaning into his chest.

"Isn't this uncomfortable?" she asked as Toshiro wrapped his arms around her middle to hold her close, effectively cocooning her like a little caterpillar.

"Not unless you decided to dig an elbow in," Toshiro chuckled, although he would probably put up with it just so he could keep her close.

Rukia was a little awkward though, apologising every time she moved even the slightest of fractions.

Finding the remote, she flicked through some of the Netflix options available to them; she had her laptop plugged into the television so they could watch something other than the Olympics, in a language other than French or German.

"Do you want to watch that Stranger Things?" Toshiro asked, spotting the show on the list and being reminded of Yuzu suggesting he should watch (just not with her).

Rukia made a weird sound at the suggestion and Toshiro frowned, calling her attention back questioningly.

"I don't like scary things," she explained, mumbling with embarrassment that had Toshiro chuckling; the woman was wild – greeting men she had never met with a tongue kiss and dragging them off to a room, jumping out of planes on first dates and suggesting he fuck her in a gym shower, but a scary T.V. show was too much for her?

Still, his arms tightened protectively around her.

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear to which she shuddered. "I'll protect you."

Kissing the top of her head, Rukia seemed to relax a little into him, her body melting around him.

After a moment's debate, they agreed to watch the show, but Rukia was allowed to duck under the covers when she was scared and Toshiro would let her know when she could come back up.

They ordered some dinner and it arrived quickly, Rukia answering the door and taking the entire doona with her. It seemed eating did not calm Rukia down at all, in fact she appeared to find it harder to cope as she couldn't duck under her blanket anymore and Toshiro wasn't able to cocoon her given he was eating his dinner too. Still, he ate quickly so that Rukia could return to her safe hiding spot between his legs, and he held her tightly when she returned.

The show was great, but he was glad that he didn't have to watch it alone. Rukia was a little scared but each time an episode finished, she happily let the next one start, obviously finding something in the story that she liked. Toshiro was having fun teasing her though; he spent a lot of time simply stroking her soft skin in a soothing manner to relax her but at other times, he playful grabbed her ass and squeezed, just as a scarier moment was happening, causing her to jump and yelp, startled.

One particular time had him in stitches; the music in the show was going tense, drawing out the suspense and implying something was about to scare the shit out them, Rukia was already sinking below the covers and Toshiro just couldn't resist. He jolted suddenly and grasped her ass in the process, the worked up girl jerked, screaming loudly in Gaelic - a swear word, Toshiro presumed - and the snowboarder actually just about died with laughter. She made it too easy.

"If you do that one more time," Rukia hissed at him, a threat left unspoken but heavily implied.

"I'm so sorry," Toshiro laughed, grinning as he tightened his arms around her; he wasn't sorry, but he hadn't been expecting such a large reaction from her.

"No you're not," she sulked causing Toshiro to grin wider and place a soft apologetic kiss to her forehead.

Any further comments by her were cut off as she yawned widely and Toshiro cooed at her, doing his best impersonation of that emoji with the love heart eyes. He doubted she knew, or even that she would like to be described this way, but she was absolutely adorable.

"You're so cute," he chuckled, beaming at her as that deep red blush he loved so much lit up her cheeks again.

"It was just a yawn…" she mumbled shyly.

This girl right here was so far from the insanely sexy little demon that had swept him up on night one. She was still sexy, that would never change, but this side he was seeing of her right now was far more human, and in his opinion, even more attractive. This girl was adorable, fun, sweet - she was even affectionate. This girl was girlfriend material.

"Yeah but you wrinkle your nose when you do it," Toshiro cooed.

In response, Rukia huffed and that caused Toshiro to chuckle again; she was just too endearing, and she didn't even know how much. Leaning down, Toshiro kissed her nose, the little thing wrinkling under his touch again, only proving his point. He chuckled, especially at Rukia's disdained expression.

They continued watching Stranger Things but it was clear they were both getting tired. Rukia especially was half asleep against by the time the fourth episode was underway.

Despite the compelling story and thrilling scenes, Toshiro couldn't help but zone in and out, his tired mind turning to goo with the woman of his dreams wrapped up in his arms and nodding off. He couldn't help but think about how much he loved this moment and how much he wanted to spend every night like this for the rest of his life.

Rukia was so special, so gorgeous and fuck he liked her so much. His feelings were skyrocketing and honestly? He wasn't sure he had ever felt this strongly about any other girl he had known. It made him question his relationship with Momo; he had thought he loved at her at one point, but maybe he had just loved the idea of her? Someone who was always there, someone who gave him so much attention he almost suffocated on it. His feelings for Rukia were very different. It was hard to pin point exactly what it was, but he just knew it wasn't the same as he felt about Momo, and it was stronger.

If, by some miracle, he could convince Rukia to date him, it wouldn't be easy. They lived on literally the opposite sides of the worlds – a ten hour time zone gap and well over twenty-four hours' worth of flights (excluding stop overs) apart. That was a huge ask to try and maintain a romantic relationship with that barrier between. Sure, they both had a decent amount of money from their wins and sponsorship deals, Rukia especially, but they wouldn't be able to just fly back and forth whenever they wanted; they were professional athletes and had many competitions to train for, not to mention all the travelling to compete. Toshiro especially was confined to places with snow covered mountains and half pipes. It would be very rare for them to have competitions on at the same place.

Toshiro wanted to try though, and he would fight hard to make it work because he knew it would all be worth it. Even to see her just a few times a year and spend it like he was now, snuggling down in bed together, it would make it all worth it.

Toshiro wanted to be with Rukia, he was so sure of it. That's why he was planning to surprise her at her free skate finals tomorrow; it would be his way of putting his heart on the line to show her how he felt. Hopefully she would understand what he was trying to say, and hopefully she would reciprocate his feelings.

Realising he had drifted off when he next opened his eyes to see the episode credits rolling and Rukia breathing deep and evenly against him, Toshiro knew it was time for sleep now.

He patted around for the remote and found it, flicking off the television. Reaching for the lamp, Toshiro flicked off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

Readjusting his hold on Rukia, Toshiro got comfortable beside her and kissed her head good night.

"Sleep well, Beautiful," he murmured.

Rukia mumbled in coherently against, either in Gaelic or just gibberish, he didn't know.

"Good night to you too," he guessed, kissing her again.

She signed contently and Toshiro grinned into the room. He was tired and nervous as fuck for what he had planned for tomorrow but happier than he had been in a long time.

…

** Toshiupdates**  
Thanks for the update, ** RukiaFansOfficial**!** #RukiShiro** is still a go!

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
YESSSSSS! I am just picturing little ice babies (heart eyes)

** Toshiupdates**  
_** RukiShiroFanXOXO**__ omg yes! Do you reckon they will have a boy or a girl first?_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_** Toshiupdates **__I think the real question is if they will have regular or goofy rider? (crying laughter)_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_Hey now, let's not rule out they could have a figure skater on their hands __** Aussie_skigirl**_

_** ToshiroFan1234**_  
_I just hope Rukia doesn't fuck him around, Toshiboi deserves the world (heart)_

…

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	9. Romantic Gesture

Waking up the next morning was a slow process; Toshiro was possibly the warmest and most comfortable he had ever been outside of his own bed. The first thing he felt was Rukia's familiar and comforting weight spread evenly over his body, the Irish beauty laying on his chest, her legs entangled with his. Toshiro remembered instantly the night before, spending the evening curled up with a sleepy Rukia, and how he had fallen asleep almost immediately after flicking off the lights and settling down with the incoherently mumbling skater.

How peaceful he had been then, and he was just a peaceful now, maybe even more so.

Something soft and warm was pressing against his throat repeatedly and Toshiro hummed in agreement, his eyes still closed but slowly his mind was regaining consciousness. Tilting his head away to give the feeling more access, Toshiro tightened his arms around the warm body on top of him.

"Good morning, Handsome," Rukia's voice uttered softly between the kisses she was placing on his neck.

Toshiro hummed again, his lips breaking out into a grin.

"Best morning of my life," he mumbled, voice hoarse from sleep.

Rukia's body shifted and her lips landed higher, on or close to where he knew his dimples were; they were only visible when he smiled, such as right in that moment. He smiled wider as her lips pulled away again; this truly was the best morning ever.

The lips landed next at the corner of his mouth and Toshiro turned his head slightly, capturing those soft, plump lips with his own. Rukia pressed back softly, but it was nothing more than a lingering peck.

When she pulled away, Toshiro's eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times while his pupils adjusted to the bright dawn-lit room. Rukia was watching him through soft, smiling eyes; a true picture of perfection and something Toshiro knew he could easily wake up to every day of his life and always feel a skip of his heart.

Cupping her face, Toshiro stroked his thumb across her cheek, her soft pearly skin like satin beneath it.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he murmured, voice mildly better. "How are you feeling about today?"

Today being the day of her free skate finals, the performance of which would determine which medal she walked away with – because she would make it onto that podium – and if she could be the first woman in the world to land the coveted quadruple Lutz. Toshiro believed she could after watching her land it over and over again during her private practice, even in her exhausted state.

Yesterday she had been feeling apprehensive about it though, to the point where she had sought him out to distract herself. It had taken him all afternoon to get her to open up about it but when she did, she told him everything she was feeling and it broke his heart, hating seeing her so full of self-doubt.

She groaned instantly.

"I-I'm not sure," Rukia grimaced, looking downwards as she shrugged. "I've always been so sure, and suddenly I'm just… _not_."

She exhaled, and Toshiro used his free hand to rub the small of her back soothingly.

"You've made a decision, there's no turning back now so you've just got to roll with it," Toshiro told her, hoping he could edge her from doubtful to focused. "You gotta go all in, don't do anything by halves."

"Are you saying I should skate my new routine 'wholeheartedly'?" Rukia asked, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of her lips despite her downcast mood.

"Exactly," Toshiro nodded, grinning a little at the reference she was making to his tattoo and proclaimed way of life.

The lighter moment was extinguished quickly however, as Rukia looked down, her eyebrows pinching as she thought it through.

"Do you think I'll land the quad?" she asked at last, glancing up at him, her eyes swimming with doubt.

"I do," Toshiro hummed confidently.

"What if I don't though?" Rukia pressed, looking uneasy.

"I'll still be really proud of you for giving it a go," Toshiro answered. "Everyone will be, including your brother."

And her sister, if she believed in that sort of thing; the Shiba family certainly did.

"And there's always Worlds for you to try it again," Toshiro reminded her. "The Olympics isn't the be-all and end-all."

At least, that's what his father kept telling him.

Nodding thoughtfully to herself, Rukia was silent for a moment as she contemplated his words. After a moment, she seemed to relent and agree with him.

"I suppose you're right," she murmured.

"I am," Toshiro poked her in her ticklish spot. "I'm really smart."

It did the trick, Rukia scoffing instantly – after jolting away from his finger – and rolling her eyes.

"Didn't know how to do your own laundry, but sure," Rukia muttered, "you're a real genius."

Toshiro laughed, "Am I ever going to live that down?"

Rukia smirked and shook her head, "Afraid not."

"As long as you're the one teasing me," Toshiro smirked. "I suppose that's okay."

Violet eyes stared at him for a moment, piercing him. If she squinted at them, his words might have left a subtle hint, something to read between the lines. If she really took in what he was saying, she might realise he meant that he didn't want to live down the laundry incident, because if she was still there to tease him it meant she was _still there_. That's what Toshiro wanted; a future, laundry teasing included, with her.

If she caught the meaning, she didn't say anything or react in any obviously way. Likely, it had gone over her head or she had chosen to ignore it – hopefully the former – and instead, Rukia's thin fingers wrapped around his wrist and she turned her head slightly to kiss the palm of his hand that was still cupping her cheek.

Toshiro smiled softly at her, still counting his lucky stars that he was waking up with the gorgeous Rukia Kuchiki in his arms, an affectionate and cuddly Rukia Kuchiki of all things. He stretched his neck up and kissed her forehead, Rukia humming contently while her cheeks turned pink.

She smiled at him and Toshiro couldn't help but return it, feeling his lips stretch wide. Rukia's eyes then fell to his cheek and she poked his dimple, her expression turning playful.

"It's so squishy," she murmured, eyes lighting up excitedly in an almost childish way. "I'm gonna call it 'Mr. Squish'."

"You sound like Dory from Finding Nemo," Toshiro chuckled, trying to turn his head away from her prodding finger.

Rukia chuckled, eyes cheeky as she impersonated the little blue Pixar fish, "I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy."

Toshiro laughed loudly; he now had a very good idea about what the Irish Dory might have sounded like and it was hilarious. Rukia chuckled as he laughed beneath her and the dark haired skater reached up to peck the newly named 'Mr. Squish' before she laid back down on his chest, snuggling into him again.

His arms wrapped around her and squeezed gently; _fuck, she was adorable._

"You're so affectionate in the morning," Toshiro commented, his hands dipping under the hem of her shirt – _his shirt_ – and softly stroking the smooth skin of her back.

Rukia didn't reply, but she adjusted herself again before settling back down, her head tucked under his chin. She was quiet and he could sense she was thoughtful again. It was hard to gauge her emotions at the best of times, especially without seeing her face, but Toshiro let her have a moment. He wasn't worried; she was still curled against him and fingers were drawing mindless patterns on his shoulder as she thought.

There were likely many things on her mind right now, with her free skate final today probably at the forefront. She had been a barely together nervous wreck when she had found him yesterday. Toshiro had done his very best to help take her mind off it and they had ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening together. Their time together that afternoon went from cute and couple-y to downright animalistic lust and back again, giving them both the vital distractions they needed from the competition, family matters and, in his case, manipulative ex-girlfriends.

It had led Toshiro to make a decision he had been weighing up in his mind all day, and now that he was thinking about it after a long, refreshing sleep, the snowboarder was confident he was making the right move. Hopefully by the end of the day, Rukia would have come away from the Olympics with more than one prize, and Toshiro… well, it would soften the blow if he didn't medal, because he would have already won the best trophy of them all; _love._

Gods he was such a sappy loser, like he was some fawning teenage girl. Toshiro chuckled to himself at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Rukia asked, her body moving again until she was propped up on her elbows, her face popping up in front of him.

"Just remembering this," Toshiro smirked, his hand slipping out from under her shirt to smack her bare ass firmly, causing Rukia to start with a small yelp.

"When you were fucking me into a wall at the gym," Rukia muttered, a little disgruntled, "or when you were scaring the life out of me during Stranger Things?"

"Both," Toshiro laughed; the sexual spanking had been his favourite, but teasing her for being scared of a little Netflix show had been entertaining too.

To prove his point, he smacked her ass cheek again, this time grabbing onto it and squeezing. Still his favourite sexual part of a woman's body, Toshiro decided, even if Rukia's thighs were pretty delicious too.

On the second spank, Rukia didn't yelp or start, likely because she was expecting it, but her eyes did go a little darker in a way he was definitely familiar with now. Toshiro tilted his head curiously, watching as she sat up, back straightening as her pelvis sat over his, her legs straddling his hips. The doona had fallen down, pooling over his legs behind her and giving Toshiro a breathtaking view of Rukia in his shirt; the black fabric hung off her like a mini dress, the neck line wide enough to be almost slipping over her shoulder.

"You're hard," she told him like he didn't already know, obviously feeling his morning glory beneath her.

"It's morning," Toshiro pointed out, causing Rukia to smirk at him, "and I've woken up to a stunning woman. Can you blame me?"

Her smirk stayed, but a pink hue appeared across her cheeks. She held his gaze and rocked slowly and deliberately over his erection, sending a hot flush through his body.

"So what are you going to do about it?" she challenged him.

Toshiro propped himself up on his elbows and stared up at her, raising an eyebrow.

"You really want to do this now?" he asked. "You don't want to rest and relax before your performance today?"

"This is how I relax, remember?" Rukia rocked again, causing Toshiro to clench his jaw in order to stop the pleasured hiss.

Rukia hadn't been wearing underwear when they went to bed last night, so the only interference between his cock and her hot entrance was the fabric of his boxes; the friction was sending jolts up his spine.

Thoughts were becoming muffled as arousal took over his brain but Toshiro still managed to weigh up what she had said and his options. After yesterday's performance and knowing he couldn't summon the energy to do that again right now, Toshiro eventually decided to take another tact, maybe one that would further enhance the message he would be trying to send her at her free skate.

Pushing himself to sit all the way up, Toshiro's arms wrapped around Rukia's waist. In his lap, her lips ended up being just above his and Toshiro had to stretch himself up a little to reach her. He took control of the kiss instantly and kept it slow and deep, his hands slipping under her shirt again to feel her skin.

He was gentle with her, treating her like a precious glass heirloom worth an inconceivable amount of money, but she was much more than that. Toshiro poured his heart into the kiss, wanting her to feel his emotions toward her; the affection and the care, the lot of it. He wanted her to know that when he came to her free skate today, that the gesture he was going to put forward was much more than a friend supporting another friend, or a fling doing something a little wild for the fun of it. He was seriously putting his heart on the line for her, and he wanted her to know that. He kissed her with absolute passion, as slow and gentle as it was.

Arms wrapped around the back of his neck and a hand slipped into his hair and tugged, causing Toshiro to gasp a little, more so when she rocked against his erection again. It was clear she was trying to get the show on the road, getting things sped up but Toshiro wasn't having it; he put his hands on her hips and held her still, pressing her against his hard cock but keeping her in place so she couldn't rub herself against him. Beneath his fingers she tried to move but to no avail – he was too strong. Her attempts to hurry him continued, however, through more tugs of his hair and an ongoing attempt to fight him for kissing dominance. Still, Toshiro did not speed things up and eventually Rukia pulled back from his slow kiss, annoyed.

"Are you going to fuck me today or next week?" she huffed, causing Toshiro to chuckle.

"Today," Toshiro murmured, "if you stop interrupting."

The skater huffed again and Toshiro smirked, moving his lips away from hers and planting them instead to her jaw, just below her chin. He pressed a series of small, chaste kisses along the line of her jaw bone, hands still holding her in place.

"You're sure going the slowest way about it," Rukia commented again.

"Relax, Beautiful," Toshiro whispered in her ear, his kisses leading him to her earlobe which he nibbled on quickly. "Let me look after you."

There was a sharp inhale but Rukia didn't say anything more, letting Toshiro's lips continue their work as they travelled down her neck now. Her skin was so soft beneath his lips, Toshiro was having a wonderful time exploring it, just as he had on his hotel room desk all those days ago. He found the spots he knew were sensitive areas for her again, remembering where they were better than he remembered his own. Seemingly settled that pleasure was slowly but surely coming her way, Rukia tilted her neck and gave him access, her sigh now content as opposed to impatient.

Toshiro reached her collarbone, having to pull the neck of her – _his _– shirt to reach it and pressed a few small kisses there. He knew it wasn't a particularly erogenous zone for her but he couldn't help himself, always having found collarbones pretty attractive. Still, he moved down it quickly and up the opposite side, mapping the trail he had made down her throat in reverse as he moved back up her neck on the other side, making sure to stop and suck at her soft spots and his old hickey marks. Today, on the day of possibly the most important performance of her life, he wouldn't mark her somewhere visible.

Rukia gasped when he reached an especially sensitive spot on her neck and groaned softly when he sucked gently on it.

Again, her hips tried to move over his but he held her in place.

"Toshiro," she called his name breathlessly.

Toshiro's lips left her neck to immediately find hers, never one to resist her calling his name and they resumed their slow but deep kiss. Her hands were in his hair again but this time she didn't pull, just grasping it at the roots. Their tongues danced slowly, stroking each other in a leisurely fashion, like they didn't care what else was happening in the rest of the world as long as they had each other.

He kept both arms underneath her shirt; one arm wrapped tightly around Rukia's waist to hold her in place and thwart any future attempts to grind against him, while the other arm moved up her body, cupping her bare breast.

Rukia let out an encouraging hum, waiting for him to squeeze her breast and pinch her nipple but Toshiro didn't, not right away. First, he simply held it, his thumb stroking the skin softly in slow circles, steering clear of the nipple. Rukia was arching into him, silently begging him to touch her properly but he didn't, and soon her arms were unwrapping from his neck, coming down to the hem of her shirt and beginning to pull it off.

Toshiro broke from the kiss and let go of her breast to catch her meddling hands quickly.

"No," he murmured. "It stays on."

"You can't fuck me with my clothes on," she told him, not for the first time in their week and a half long Olympic fling.

"You're not wearing any underwear," he reminded her, voice low. "I think you'll find that's all we really need."

Well, that and his boxers would need to come off.

"You want to fuck me while I'm wearing an oversized t-shirt?" Rukia raised an eyebrow at him. "I'd have thought you'd prefer me naked?"

"You're wearing _my_ shirt," Toshiro shrugged, glancing over it and drinking in the view. "I love the sight of that."

It was possibly hypocritical that he hated how possessive Momo had gotten and yet here he was, having – arguably – just as possessive thoughts. It was different though; he'd never restrict Rukia's freedom.

"It stays on," he repeated, his hand letting go of hers to slip back under _his_ shirt, this time pinching her nipple, just as she had wanted, causing her to gasp and arch into him , her head falling back and giving him perfect access to her neck once more, lips latching on instantly.

Sucking and biting her neck softly, but without leaving a mark, Toshiro took the time to simply enjoy the taste of her skin, and the feel of her weight in his lap. He needed to show her how much he cared for her and how much he wanted her, because there was no way he was ever going to be attracted to another woman like he was attracted to her. Getting over her would be an absolute bitch – mission impossible – and he prayed he wouldn't have to go through it.

Rukia gave a low moan he when found that sensitive spot on her neck again and coupled it with a nice squeeze of her breast. She wasn't panting yet but her breaths were getting heavier and she had temporarily stopped trying to take over control.

Toshiro used the rare moment of her pliancy to roll them over, laying Rukia on her back while he lay on his side next to her. Violet eyes snapped up to him, clouded slightly by arousal and full of hope that this might mean he was about to kick things up a notch. Toshiro wanted to smirk but he smiled softly instead before leaning over her and capturing her lips once more. Rukia's hand cupped his face, bringing him in to deepen the kiss and Toshiro let her, but again he kept the pace painfully slow.

Now that their pelvises were apart, Toshiro didn't have to hold her down, although he did use one arm to support himself up on his elbow. The other free hand resumed its' previous position, slipping under her shirt and this time going for the opposite breast – the right one – and groping it softly.

Rukia gave a small sigh, likely at the gentleness of the touch which only teased her instead of bringing her more obvious pleasure. Still, Toshiro kept up his game, his thumb flicking over the nipple leisurely.

"Toshiro," she murmured when their lips parted, her voice holding an edge of a warning tone, sexual frustration obviously setting in.

"Haven't you ever had slow sex before?" Toshiro asked quietly as his lips brushed over her neck again.

"No," Rukia answered, sounding like that was the worst concept she had ever heard of.

Toshiro wasn't surprised; she'd had a lot of sex in her time and yet never been with anyone twice. First fucks were never slow, that was something you did with a romantic partner, and not a one hit wonder. Toshiro was here to show her that slow sex was amazing too, with the right person, and he definitely wanted to be the right person for her.

Bringing his head up, Toshiro's face hovered over hers, his eyes staring into hers.

"Do you trust me?" he whispered, uncertainty in his voice remembering the last time he had asked her that exact question; the answer had been a very quick 'no'.

Rukia held his gaze and Toshiro didn't dare move until he heard her answer, but then-

"Yes," she breathed.

Both relief and happiness flooded Toshiro's mind and body, and he leaned down to kiss her once more, this one – while still slow – had a bit more power in it, showing his gratefulness to be let into her life like this.

It was time to prove his point.

Toshiro pushed her shirt up and over her breasts, happily letting it bunch high up on her chest; the reminder that she was wearing his shirt to bed was quite the turn on, but he still needed access to her breasts for the next phase of the foreplay.

Pulling back from her lips and sinking lower, Toshiro took her left nipple in his mouth, sucking gently on it. Rukia's hand was in his hair encouraging him while the nails of her other hand raked lightly across his back. Toshiro caught the nipple in his teeth and flicked his tongue across it while he pinched her right side nipple with his hand. Rukia hissed and he heard her head fall back onto the pillow.

Even with his eyes closed and paying all his attention to her chest, Toshiro couldn't ignore the fidgeting her legs were doing and shifting of her hips as her arousal grew while her entrance was left untouched.

This wasn't about torturing her or teasing her, it was about giving her pleasure in a slow, gentle way. It was about showing her the difference between sex and making love, so he obliged quickly, his hand leaving her breast and dragging down across her skin. His fingers wandered briefly, first over her hip and down the side of her ass – of course he gave it a quick squeeze, unable to resist – before moving back up onto her thigh. He stroked the length of her thigh slowly, from hip to knee and back again. He did it a second time, this time stroking up the inside of her smooth skinned thigh and Rukia gave a small whimper; it seemed he was so close and yet still so far. Chuckling internally, Toshiro finally gave in and had his fingers finally reach her wet middle.

The Irish woman hummed and her legs spread further apart for him as Toshiro fingers explored and rubbed gently in between her folds. His thumb found her clit easily and he pressed it more firmly, his tongue meanwhile lapping happily at her nipple. Rukia moaned and arched, her finger nails digging further into his back.

Swapping sides, Toshiro leaned further over Rukia to reach the right breast with his mouth and used the distraction to slip his first finger inside her. It slid in easily as Rukia was apparently rather turned on by his actions already.

The skater was not distracted though, muttering a sarcastic yet breathless, "Finally."

Toshiro smirked against her breast. _Such impatience…_

Still, knowing he had slow plans and yet not all that much time before she would have to get up and ready, Toshiro moved things along, pulling out the one finger and inserting two in. Rukia moaned softly as Toshiro began to stretch her walls a part, not forgetting to stroke the upper wall to find her special spot again.

"F-fuck," she panted, as Toshiro continued his actions, adding his thumb on her clit into the mix and causing her to moan a little louder.

Lips leaving her breast, Toshiro moved to kiss her neck again, finding the erogenous zones and abusing them, nice and slowly.

"T-Toshiro," Rukia groaned, tugging his hair, "Three fingers. N-now."

The powerfulness of her demands was dampened somewhat by the breathless stutter. Still, Toshiro obeyed her, pulling out the two fingers and slowly inserting three.

It was too slow for Rukia apparently, who shifted her hips in an effort to somehow sink further onto them herself. Toshiro chuckled and brought himself over her, kissing her lips again in another slow-paced passionate exchange. He did his best fingering work to prepare her for what was to come but his movements were unhurried.

Panting on the bed, Rukia became more and more aroused but her impatience grew too, her hands tugging at his hair again to try and spur him on given it was a known kink for him. It almost worked too, until Toshiro growled and sat up, using the arm that had been supporting him to grab both her wrists and pin them above her head.

Darkness came over Rukia's eyes as he did so, and Toshiro held her lusty gaze while his fingers worked their magic.

Sweat beads were forming on her forehead and her lips were parted as she panted, Toshiro's three fingers moved easily inside her.

"I'm r-ready," she gasped when his thumb flicked over her clit again, "C-cock. Now."

Almost considering prolonging the foreplay, just for his own amusement, Toshiro decided against it; Rukia was looking just too spectacular, all sweaty and panting for him, he couldn't resist. He wanted to be inside her just as much as she wanted him in her.

Removing his fingers from her entrance, Toshiro reached for one of the magnum condoms on her bedside table and held it to her lips, making a biting gesture with his teeth. She stared into his eyes as she bit onto the wrapper tightly and Toshiro tugged at it gently, the wrapper slowly splitting open.

Grinning, Toshiro took the packet from her mouth and kissed her forehead while pulled out the condom, pushed down his boxers and rolled it on.

Thankfully, Rukia also had accumulated some of the small lube sachets they were giving out to athletes and Toshiro grabbed one of those too, this time opening it himself since it could get messy, and applied the lube to his covered shaft.

Letting go of her hands, Toshiro pulled his boxers all the way off and then used his arms to support himself as he climbed over her and hovered between her legs. He lined himself up with her entrance, but before pushing in he glanced up at her, preparing to request that she look at him while he entered her but he didn't have to. She was already looking at him, her violet irises holding his teal. Her eyes were full of lust, but also with something much warmer. Eyes softening and leaning forward, Toshiro reached out one arm to cup her cheek again and he pressed a very sweet little peck to her lips before pulling back to look at her again. He brushed her hair out of her face so he could get an unobstructed view and finally, he began to push in.

Their eye contact wasn't broken as Toshiro sunk slowly inside her, even as Rukia's back arched a fraction at the intrusion, the Irish woman biting her lip.

Still holding her gaze, Toshiro waited a moment for her to adjust before setting off at an extremely slow and patient pace, one which was of stark contrast to yesterday's animalistic shower performance. Rukia's body moved with him as each thrust came in long and deliberate strokes; pushing in, lingering, pulling out and repeating the process.

They only broke their gaze when the temptation to kiss became too much and Toshiro found his eyes fluttering closed as his lips landed back on hers, and he sunk down onto his elbows to close the gap between their bodies.

The kiss coupled with the measured thrusts spoke on his behalf, saying all the things he had been desperate to say to her over the course of their blossoming fling.

'_I don't want this to end,'_ he told her silently, _'I don't want to say goodbye to you. I really like you, Rukia. I have feelings for you and I want us to be together, even if we have to do it long-distance.'_

Her soft moan in his mouth was all the answer he got, so his trusts got a little more powerful, her body moving up the bed fraction by fraction. It was still a relaxed pace, making sure she had time to feel every inch of him sliding in and out.

Pulling back from the kiss, Toshiro hitched her leg up so it hooked over his hip and the other followed automatically, her ankles crossing behind him and giving him a deeper access. He pushed in again, painfully slowly, and holding her gaze again.

Rukia's lips were parted, breaths coming out fast and shallow, not at all matching the low speed of his thrusts.

"Y-you're so beautiful," he told her, out loud this time in a strained and raspy voice.

She moaned and arched, her head tilting right back into the pillow.

"F-fuck," she gasped, "F-faster."

"No," Toshiro shook his head, "I w-want you to f-feel it all. F-feel _me_."

He was so close now, feeling himself coming undone from both the physical feeling of her hot, wet walls clamping down around him on and off, as well as the emotional build he was experiencing as he projected his feelings through his tender treatment of her.

'_I want to be the person you come home to,'_ he spoke to her telepathically, _'I want to be able to hold you at night, I want to make you happy.'_

Fuck, he was getting too close now, but he had to hold on for her sake. Luckily, Rukia looked close too, but the speed was obviously too slow to push her over the edge and Toshiro wasn't about to negotiate on that; he didn't want this to be another crazed fuck, as fun as it was yesterday, because today he had a message to get across. He _needed_ her to know how he felt.

One elbow continued to support his weight above her but the other arm snuck down between them and he used his first two fingers to locate her clit and began to rub it slowly, in time with his thrusts.

Rukia's moan tore through the room and she arched once again, her panting becoming more obvious.

"F-fuck, Toshiro," she gasped, and her breathless voice went straight to his groin bringing him closer to his peak.

Leaning down to kiss her quickly, Toshiro pulled back and held his face just above hers, staring into those deep purple eyes, wanting to see them gloss over when she came.

He was so close though.

"F-fuck, far out," he breathed, the words he had been thinking were in his throat, clawing desperately to get out, "R-Rukia, I-"

Before he could finish – both his words and his building orgasm – a powerful combination of his trusts, his fingers rubbing her clit and staring deep into her eyes, possibly egged on by saying her name in his sex-strained voice, sent Rukia over the edge. Her eyes clenched shut and her jaw dropped, his name falling from her lips in a strangled fashion. Toshiro was just as quickly brought to his finish when her hands had worked their way up into his hair and she tugged it when she came undone around him.

A long groan spilled from him as he thrusted in one last time, his body going stiff as he emptied himself into the condom.

After a moment, he collapsed on top her, their sweat-covered bodies shaky as they tried to regain their breaths. Toshiro buried his face in her neck, feeling his dick going soft inside her, and he sighed softly, needing a moment to recover.

Rukia eventually came back around, her arms wrapping around his back and her head tilting so she was resting her cheek on his crown.

"I didn't expect that," she murmured, voice still a little breathless, "slow sex being that good, I mean."

'_Making love,'_ Toshiro corrected internally.

"I'm glad I could show you," he mumbled, humming softly when he felt her fingers brush through his hair, no longer tugging but instead threading through tenderly.

"Me too," Rukia said, voice soft.

Toshiro allowed himself a small smile and with a tired groan, he pulled out of her and rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him. She settled into his side, her head on his chest as she curled up and Toshiro brought his arm around her to hold her close.

He didn't know if his message had landed or not, but in any case, Rukia seemed much more relaxed and content now, and that had been the original goal after all.

They must have fallen back asleep for not a second after Toshiro had closed his eyes again was he being woken up to an obnoxiously loud tune.

A feeling of anticipation bloomed in Toshiro's chest at what the alarm signalled.

"It's time," Toshiro murmured, hating the fact he was going to have to uncurl his arms from Rukia in order for them to both get up.

It was time; time for her final performance, time for his romantic gesture that would hopefully seal the deal on their relationship.

"Yeah," Rukia sighed deeply, but made no attempts to get up.

Her face was pressed into his chest and Toshiro could feel the nerves radiating off her. He wondered briefly if he would feel the same stress going into his finals in a few days.

Finally, the skater pushed herself up and Toshiro followed, not giving her an excuse to lie back down. He kissed her forehead gently in encouragement.

"Come on," he grinned. "We've got a jump to make."

And it was their jump. Sort of. Toshiro felt her stress too, her nerves and her anxiety. He had watched her the last few days and observed her journey had since become a part of his journey too. They were in this together.

Getting out of bed, Toshiro joined Rukia for a shared shower. Like yesterday's shower – post sex – it was tender. He couldn't let go of her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing sneaky kisses to her skin whenever she tried to wash herself. It got her smiling, and what else could he ask for on a day like this. She was returning the affection, making his heart swell with hope that he wasn't making a huge mistake with this gesture he was planning to make at her free skate. He couldn't doubt himself now, otherwise he would come undone and it wouldn't be pretty.

Rukia wanted to be with him. That's what he had to think.

"Can I keep this?" Rukia asked after their shower.

Looking up from where he was negotiating his legs into his slim leg jeans, Toshiro felt his lips stretch into a wide smile. Rukia was holding up the black shirt of his that she had worn to bed last night.

"Sure, it's yours," Toshiro chuckled. "Besides I have a pair of your panties so think it's only fair you have something of mine."

Why would she want some simple black shirt of his if not to keep it because it was his? It wasn't like it had a cool band on it or something. It had been five dollars at Kmart. No, surely this was a sentiment-based request? Hopefully it was something she planned to use as a source of comfort while they were apart and not something merely to remember him by.

They finished dressing and headed down to the canteen. Rukia claimed not to be hungry but Toshiro managed to convince her to get down at least a protein bar and a smoothie, knowing it was better to have something in her stomach than not, even if she was feeling sick with nerves. She needed the energy; an athlete couldn't and shouldn't go all out on their sport with no energy to keep them going, especially when Rukia was expected to keep it up for six minutes.

"Stop nagging," Rukia chuckled before shoving the final corner of the protein bar in her mouth.

"I'm not nagging," Toshiro responded defensively, keeping a close eye on the skater to make sure she didn't spit it out.

"You sound like you are," she replied with an eye roll.

They left for the rink and Toshiro caught Rukia's smoothie as she went to throw it in the bin, taking it for himself. Rukia's reaction was to smile up at him, but he didn't know why she was so happy about it.

"What?" he asked, raising a questioning brow.

A wider grin and a shake of the head was the only response he got and Toshiro just shrugged it off internally; well, there was no point wasting a perfectly good smoothie.

Down at the rink, they headed for the athletes' entrance that was guarded by security. Waiting for Rukia was her brother and coach, the man looking terribly sick. Rukia had mentioned it briefly a few days ago that he had been unwell and then he hadn't been at her short program finals when the scores were released, so maybe he was actually a lot sicker than they thought? Toshiro grimaced; as much as he wanted to feel for the man, he felt more sympathy for Rukia who was having her coach breakdown on her during the most important event of her life.

The woman in question seemed to freeze when she spotted her brother too, her whole body tensing up beneath Toshiro's hand. He knew, as the master of tensing up, that she was tensing enough for it to physically hurt. Not ideal before an Olympic final.

"Can't make the jump if you've turned to stone," he murmured softly to her as he gently rubbed her back, hoping to loosen up her muscles a bit.

She managed chuckle and Toshiro felt his confidence grow.

"Try not to think about him," he continued. "Try not to think about anyone except the people who make you fly. You're going to land this jump, Rukia, and we'll all be there cheering for you."

"Thank you," Rukia said with an exhale, her breath coming out in a cloud in the icy air. "I'll see you after?"

Toshiro smirked; well, that was the plan.

"Of course you will," he smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her lips briefly before pulling back to gaze down into her bright violet eyes. "Look out for me in the stands."

He sent her a wink before turning and walking away, chucking the empty smoothie in a nearby bin.

As soon as he was out of sight, Toshiro pulled his phone out of his phone. Aside from an indecipherable drunk text from Yukio and another message from Momo with a link to an article 'A complete archive: Rukia Kuchiki's Rumoured Conquests' (he refused to open that particular gossip piece), Toshiro had a number messages from Rangiku and Yuzu updating him on the situation. In fact, a group chat had been made.

Cringing at the title, and knowing it was the work of Rangiku, Toshiro opened the new WhatsApp group chat titled 'The Bub Wants A Wife, Season 2'. Thankfully, the only members of the conversation were Rangiku, Yuzu and Gin.

**Rangiku, 07:23am:** _Thought I'd start a group chat because it's easier. __** Toshiro**__ we have managed to round up all the Irish, all of Team Shiba and about 20 other Aussie athletes. __** Gin**__ how are you going with the flags and face paint?_  
**Gin, 07:25am**: _(photo) just left the shops now, do you think this will be enough?_  
**Rangiku, 07:26am:** _That's perf (red heart) (heart eyes) (kiss)_  
**Yuzu, 07:28am:** _OMGGG I CANT BELEIVE THIS IS HAPPENINGGG! __** Everyone**__ Karin, Jinta and I are going down to the rink early to save seats for everyone. I made a banner last night so I'm going to try hang it over the front of our section!_  
**Rangiku, 07:34am:** _YAS YUZU, YOU CUTIE! Do you have a picture? (heart eyes)_  
**Yuzu, 07:36am:** _(photo) I was up all night, do you think Rukia will like it?_

Toshiro stopped mid step to open up the picture of Yuzu's banner and almost choked.

It was huge! Easily three or four metres long by one metre wide. It was painted bright green, with white and orange shamrocks littering the background. In the foreground, a picture of Rukia mid sit-spin in her short program dress, the background of the rink carefully cut out and removed so she popped against the green background. On the left, the words 'We love you, Rukia!' were painted in a heavy black font, and on the right more words in Irish that Toshiro didn't understand. Along the bottom, an Irish flag was painted next to the Australian flag, followed by the now trending '#IreAussie'. It was equal parts hideous and beautiful, but entirely Yuzu - Rukia's biggest fan indeed.

**Rangiku, 07:37am:** _! THAT'S AMAZING YUZU! (heart eyes) (heart eyes) what does the Irish bit say?_  
**Yuzu, 07:38am**: _It says 'Go for Gold'! Luckily I checked with__** Gin**__ because Renji almost had me writing 'you're a midget' on it (eye roll)._  
**Rangiku, 07:38:** _(red heart)_  
**Gin, 07:40am: **_NEVER TRUST RENJI (crying laughter)_  
**Rangiku, 08:15am:** _** Toshiro**__ we're all at the rink, text me when you get here._

Toshiro shook his head at his phone but he couldn't help but grin. He was so grateful for everyone's help and he was starting to feel more excited than anxious about his plan; Rukia would love this!

Quickly firing off a text to say he was at the rink and ask where they were sitting, Toshiro hurried inside through the main spectator's entrance. Rangiku replied instantly and he dashed off quickly to where she said they were all sitting.

"There he is," Rangiku squealed, throwing her arms around him when he reached them in the stand.

She was ready. Her entire outfit was bright green, with little shamrocks painted on both cheeks and their Australian flag tied around her neck like a cape. She was clearly going for the best of both worlds look with the Australian flag on her back while her clothes, skin and hair turned her entire body into an Irish flag.

"Look!" she turned him around to face their group. "Everyone is here!"

Everyone indeed; all the Irish and their coaches (not that there were many of them), his entire family including his brother, father and aunt, and almost half the Australian Olympic team. That guy Steve was there, plus the individual skaters, the bobsled team and a couple of the other snowboarders from the other events.

All of them dressed in the Irish colours, with Irish symbols painted on their cheeks and more than one sneaky flask going around.

This was what he had been planning, his big romantic gesture. Sure, it might not seem like much to the untrained eye, but for Toshiro this was a huge declaration of his feelings for Rukia. This is what his father had done to win back his mother at their Olympics; he had gathered all of their friends and other supporters, dressed them up in the Scottish colours and turned up at her finals event to support her. It had worked for Isshin and now Toshiro was praying that it worked for him too. He was putting his heart on the line to show Rukia how much he truly cared for her, how their teams had become a sort of family and how she was loved by so many, including himself.

"How did you get all the Aussies?" Toshiro asked, shocked to see so many people, even the ones he hadn't spoken to much.

"The girls are fans of the RukiShiro tag," Rangiku explained, grinning ear to ear, "and the boys wanted to come when I told them all about the flippy skirts."

"God love those flippy skirts," Toshiro chuckled.

As long as they weren't looking at Rukia's flippy skirt – that was a flippy skirt for his eyes only.

Rangiku immediately shoved Toshiro into a chair at the front and handed him a half full flask before she started pulling out face paint. Toshiro took a sip from the flask and smirked when he tasted the familiar Irish treasure – Guinness. Mind you it was obviously canned Guinness and was poorly poured, but Toshiro would take it**. **He continued to sip as he watched Yuzu hover between Jinta and Gin who were at each side of the banner, trying to tie it to the railing in front of them so it would hang over the edge of their stand, well visible to Rukia. Karin was apparently down a level, shouting up to Yuzu to let her know if it was hung evenly or not.

In the back corner of their section, Toshiro spotted Ichigo and Renji kissing, huddled together under a giant Irish flag. Soifon, Yoruichi and Kukaku were going around handing out mini Irish flags, and Isshin was sitting with Ukitake and Urahara, likely catching up on their golden days. Toshiro wondered if they were talking about when Isshin had done the exact same thing for Masaki back at the Oslo Olympics all those years ago.

"Do you want shamrocks or flags?" Rangiku asked, hovering over him with green paint. "Or both? You know what, leave it to me."

Before Toshiro could protest, she was pushing his face around pressing the tip of the paint brush to his cheek, eyes set in concentration and the white haired snowboarder dared not to move. Toshiro had no choice but to sit still and observe his surrounds, hopefully not letting the nerves get back to him. Further down the row of seats, Isshin met his gaze, eyes unreadable, and Toshiro offered him a weak smile.

After a moment, Rangiku hooked a finger around his chin and tilted his face quickly the opposite way, getting to the other cheek now. Sighing, Toshiro now had nothing but strangers in the next stand to look at.

He hoped Rukia would realise this gesture meant more than just athletic support and comradery, and he hoped that she would return the feelings.

A warm hand pressed against Toshiro's back and soon Isshin entered his field of vision, hoping over the seats and sitting himself on Toshiro's other side.

"You're holding up a lot better than I was," the father of four commented, a reminiscent smile tugging at his lips as he watched Yuzu and the guys get the banner evened up. "I almost threw up I was that nervous your mother would reject me."

"You? Nervous?" Toshiro gaped; his whole life his father had been the most confident and annoyingly cocky man, and yet Kukaku told them their father had actually mellowed over time so Toshiro couldn't even imagine what a young Isshin would have been like.

"A rarity in those days, I admit," Isshin chuckled, "but Masaki flipped my world on its head and winning her back suddenly became the single most important thing in my life."

Toshiro's parents had been in love from the get go. No one could deny that; it was literally love at first sight. The same could not be said for Toshiro and Rukia though; he had been smitten from the start but it was hardly love, and then was Rukia who… well, they all knew what she thought early on.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Dad?" Toshiro asked, aware that Rangiku had since stopped painting his cheek but was listening closely.

Isshin didn't answer quickly, simply leaning back in his chair and gazing out at the empty rink. Olympic officials were running back and forth around it while the crowds were still filing into seats.

"Yeah I do," he answered at last, nodding slowly like he only just decided and wasn't entirely sure he was making the right decision. He took a long sip from his own flask.

It did not fill Toshiro with confidence. He also took another sip from his own flask.

"Alright done," Rangiku interjected quickly, taking two quick snaps of Toshiro's cheeks before shoving her phone under his nose to show him the pictures. "I've done a flag on one side and a shamrock on the other."

"Thanks, Ran," Toshiro murmured, looking down at the pictures.

"I also brought your competition jacket," Rangiku pulled the dark green jacket from her bag on the next seat. "It's not the bright green of the Irish uniform but it'll do."

Nodding and thanking her again, Toshiro pulled the jacket on over his grey hoodie and zipped it up.

Beside him, Isshin stood and offered him a comforting pat on the back.

"She's going to love this," Isshin told him with much more confidence. "I know she's going to so glad to see you up here in her colours."

"Thanks, Dad," Toshiro inhaled sharply, hearing the announcer call the start of the competition. Isshin sent him a knowing smile and ruffled his hair as he walked away.

Yuzu quickly replaced their father's empty seats and she gripped Toshiro's arm tightly.

"I'm so excited!" she squealed, shaking with anticipation. "I'm so excited, I actually might die."

"Please don't die," Toshiro found himself laughing, unable to stop himself at his little sister's antics. "You'll dampen the mood."

The young blonde's eyes went wide in the crazy fangirl way before she giggled and settled herself in close to Toshiro, handing him a mini flag to wave when Rukia finally came on.

The competition for the women's figure skating finals got underway quickly and soon, Toshiro recognised the tall Japanese girl that Rukia was friends with shooting out onto the ice. He and Yuzu swapped glances quickly before cheering loudly for Isane, knowing that's what Rukia would be doing if she was up there with them. Around them, their friends and family got the hint and cheered too, all of them wishing the Japanese competitor the best of luck.

Whether or not their cheering helped or not, Toshiro didn't know but what he did know was that Isane Kotetsu pulled of an incredible routine. Start to finish, she was confident, graceful and powerful in every element of her routine. It was in stark contrast to the short program heat in which Toshiro vaguely remembered the girl falling badly on the first jump and was unable to shake the self-doubt for the rest of her performance. How far she had come in under two weeks.

The music ended as Isane's body came to a halt and the IreAussie supporters, among others, were up off their chairs and clapping wildly for the tall Japanese woman. What a performance!

Toshiro was grinning while beside him Yuzu was jumping up and down excitedly next to him, her fist curled in the arm of his jacket.

Isane made it over to the kiss and cry, sitting patiently beside her coach and awaiting her scores. She was breathless and panting from her performance, but the pride and happiness on her face was more prevalent. The scores were revealed; Isane Kotetsu from Japan had scored 145.25, taking her score up to 221.34 when combined with her short program from two days ago.

"A new season best!" Yuzu exclaimed next to Toshiro.

Isane was ushered away by her coach and soon the focus of the room turned to the blonde Russian girl taking to the ice – Hiy-something. Toshiro regarded her through careful eyes; he recognised her as the girl that Rukia seemed to regard has her biggest competition.

The music started up again and, as expected, the Russian skater nailed every element of her routine from start to finish. She was a machine, as many Russian skaters were.

"They come out the womb with skates on, I swear," Yuzu muttered beside him and Toshiro chucked.

"How painful for the mother," he commented back dryly and caught Yuzu's laugh just before the crowd went up in cheers again for the Russian skater who had just landed some jump or another.

The Australian snowboarder had stopped paying attention as he withdrew himself slightly from the moment; this was it. For both him and Rukia and honestly he wasn't sure who he was most nervous for. Rukia had her career on the line, but Toshiro had his heart.

He had to think positive for them both – Rukia would land her jump, and then she would jump into Toshiro's arms. They would both walk away winners.

"Rukia's up," Rangiku told him, nudging him hard in the ribs and bring Toshiro back into reality.

He had missed most of Hiyori's routine but at a glance up at the scoreboard told him she had out done Isane and was currently sitting in first place, the tall Japanese girl bumped down to second. Rukia was up next and the last to go.

Nerves ripped through Toshiro's body and he could only imagine what Rukia was feeling in that moment, the dark haired beauty gliding onto the ice below. Around him, the audience burst into loud cheers, but none were louder than the IreAussie group.

Toshiro, Yuzu, Rangiku and Gin stood up from their seats as Rukia made it into the middle of the rink, her eyes scanning the crowd until she found them. It last only a split second, but a dusty pink graced her cheeks quickly before she drew her focus back in, preparing to undoubted slay her routine.

The music started and a ripple went through the crowd as many noticed this was not the song she had skated to in the heat, that this was a new routine.

Rukia set out, determination burning furiously in her eyes as she skated.

"She's about to go for it!" Yuzu gasped suddenly from her place beside Toshiro. "Early in the routine before she gets tired."

Smart.

Toshiro held his breath, biting his lip gently, his eyes glued to the performance below and begging the Olympic gods and the skating gods – whoever was listening – that Rukia would nail it.

Then she jumped.

Toshiro's heart lurched into his throat as his Rukia-focused eyes caught the self-doubt that flashed across her face as she launched herself into the air. It was enough to derail her completely.

Rukia crashed back to the ice, grace forgotten and the shattering sound of her heart breaking hit Toshiro like a slap to the face.

She hadn't landed the quad Lutz.

Around him, Toshiro's family and friends – Rukia's personal cheer squad – clapped anyway, calling her name out in support. It was the bravery in the attempt the counted, an A for effort regardless of the outcome.

If Rukia heard no indication was given from the Irish skater as she pulled herself back to her feet in an instant and continued on like it hadn't happened at all. But it had, and Toshiro could see the expression on her face, and if he had binoculars he believed he would have seen angry, heartbroken tears in her eyes.

The failed quad had not left her mind and it was clear as the dark haired beauty made her way through the routine, the mistake clearly affecting her mindset during the performance.

It wasn't for long though.

Toshiro had to wonder what she had been thinking when her whole demeanour seemed to shift. She went from seeming entirely zoned out of what she was doing, to suddenly throwing herself back into the second half of the routine with newly found determination. Somehow Rukia had appeared to find her focus and drive again and the Irish competitor was suddenly back in the game, her elements nailed at every turn and that fiery passion back in those violet eyes.

The crowd picked up the change of pace and cheered her on, Toshiro barely feeling Yuzu's hand fisting his shirt as she gripped him in excited anticipation.

Rukia was killing it again and the crowd seemed to forget the earlier error, and Toshiro hoped the judges had too, because the way this woman was skating right now was worthy of a medal.

Then it happened. It happened so quickly Toshiro barely had time to count the rotations before Yuzu was losing her shit beside him.

"She did it!" Yuzu screamed like he had never heard her scream before. "She fucking did it!"

Toshiro registered the swear word come out of his little sister's innocent mouth and then so did what he had witnessed.

Rukia had thrown herself into the air. One, two, three, four spins, before landing back on the ice without a problem.

The quad Lutz – Rukia had thrown it in by surprise and landed it. Yuzu was right – she had fucking done it!

The crowd was in uproar, every fan of the sport going mental as the atmosphere in the rink skyrocketed, almost drowning the music out completely and didn't stop until Rukia's routine was over, and then it only doubled in volume.

The commentator's voice was completely overridden by the cheers of the crowd and the IreAussie team were in absolute chaos as they jumped up and down, waving their flags. Yuzu was crying, Rangiku and Gin were hugging and jumping together, and alcohol was going everywhere from where the group had thrown their arms up but had forgotten to close their flasks. It was madness and it was all for the woman below who Toshiro couldn't take his eyes off.

_Far out._

Rukia skated off the ice to get her scores but it wasn't without catching another glimpse of the IreAussie group and Toshiro waved his little flag excitedly at her with a big grin, knowing around him his family and friends were doing the same.

Byakuya was missing again, Toshiro noted with a frown, and he had to wonder whether the man's anger at seeing his athlete change her routine had outweighed her accomplishment of the successful quad Lutz. It sent anger through Toshiro's bones. A coach shouldn't have missed this moment. A brother shouldn't have missed this moment.

Before he knew it, Rukia's scores were revealed and Toshiro's eyes flashed to the leader board.

227.99 – a silver medal.

The crowd was in uproar again, cheering madly for the Irish woman.

Toshiro let out a disbelieving laugh, not that he really disbelieved it at all. Sure the first part of the routine had been underwhelming with Rukia's emotional drawback, but that second half had blown everyone out of the water. A silver medal was a fair result and a very brilliant one at that. It wasn't the gold but Toshiro doubted that mattered to Rukia now that she had landed that terrifying quad Lutz, her name going down in history.

Toshiro lost sight of Rukia then when the woman was engulfed by her Japanese friends and then media. In the middle of the ice, the officials were setting up a podium and Toshiro knew he would see his girl again in a matter of minutes.

While he waited, he allowed Rangiku to engulf him in a big breasty hug in which she shook him side to side as she cheered. Behind him, he could hear Yuzu rattling off skating history and statistics to whoever she was talking to, explaining how Rukia's jump had been a historical moment in the sport and would change the future of women's skating.

Toshiro allowed himself a moment to unwind a little, the darkness of Rangiku's chest blocking out the brightly lit arena and the snowboarder was able to relax for a moment. Rukia had done it, she had nailed the jump; the anxieties she had been feeling could finally leave her, she had nothing else to focus on for the remaining days of the Olympics. She could see Toshiro more.

Fighting Rangiku only when he was sure he was seconds away from passing out from a lack of oxygen, Toshiro fell back into his seat when she released him, taking a big breath of air.

Now he just had to hope Rukia did actually want to see Toshiro more.

He blinked down at the rink which was now ready to go for the medal ceremony and then his eyes drifted to the side of the rink where he could see Rukia again, standing beside Isane who had won bronze, and waiting to be called out to receive their medals.

He flinched as Rangiku sat beside him, throwing her arm around him and turning them both to face Gin.

"We have to celebrate this tonight," Rangiku told them, her voice cheery but leaving no room for disagreement. "I don't care what we do but there must be alcohol. I've been too sober on this vacation."

"This is the Olympics, not a vacation," Toshiro frowned, "and your slopestyle finals are tomorrow."

"Oh details, details," Rangiku waved him off with an air on nonchalance. "This is a special occasion."

"Ah cannae disagree with tha'," Gin beamed at the strawberry blonde, leaving Toshiro to roll his eyes, unnoticed by the snowboarding lovebirds.

Sensing something, Toshiro turned back to the ice to find Rukia gazing up at them. He felt Gin and Rangiku turn with him as they smiled down at her with pride in their eyes.

A moment passed between Toshiro and Rukia, despite the massive distance gap between them and Toshiro grinned, waving his mini flag at her in excitement, hoping she would find it cute. She laughed anyway before she seemed to shiver a little, her arms wrapping around herself and Toshiro longed to be those arms wrapping around her. Putting down the flag, he made a hug gesture, to which she –so rudely, he might add – responded to with a middle finger up in his direction. Toshiro's jaw dropped theatrically in mock offence. How they still managed to flirt even despite her being so far away, Toshiro didn't know. It was probably their undeniable connection and chemistry.

The medal ceremony followed quickly after that and it was a beautiful moment. The IreAussie group cheered loudly for both Isane and Rukia as they were awarded their medals. Pride surged through Toshiro; it was just as good as seeing Ichigo take the silver medal all those days ago.

Thankfully it didn't drag on because Toshiro was getting desperate to see Rukia again, but this time at a distance where there was in fact no distance at all. Where he could touch her lips with his and pull her body flush against his own.

The skaters disappeared again, presumably to the showers, and the crowd filed slowly out of the stands, excited chatter everywhere around them.

The IreAussie group waited outside the arena as light nerves ticked Toshiro's stomach again and finally the moment came. The anxiousness crept up on him a little more when he spotted Rukia emerging from the building, her eyes finding his almost instantly.

Then she was charging towards him again, just as she had the night they had met, but this time her eyes weren't clouded with lust. She surged into his arms and he picked her up with practiced ease, their hug turning to a kiss every quickly. His family and friends were around them, hiding them from view and watching with intense interest but Toshiro found it hard to care. Rukia was returning his affections and feelings. That told him that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her, that maybe they had a chance to continue their relationship after the games were over.

"Thank you," she smiled down at him, still held in his arms. "Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure," Toshiro grinned back, a small chuckle falling from his lips.

Toshiro placed Rukia back on her feet gently but refused to let go, pulling her small body into his side.

"You two are so cute," Rangiku cooed and Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, so when are we getting wasted?" Renji's deep voice called from Toshiro's other side.

Oh god, there were two Rangiku's – Renji was just a bigger, manlier version.

"Ah say we get pished right now," Gin said, pulling out yet another flask from his jacked.

Make that three Rangikus.

The real Rangiku grabbed the flask from Gin instantly and began drinking its contents quickly and without hesitation, despite little Yuzu's cry of concern for the strawberry blonde which went ignored.

Then Renji brought up the idea of having a barbeque – well it appeared to actually be Ichigo's idea but Toshiro had no doubt that Rangiku had had some involvement. The only problem was where they would host a barbeque given they had not actually seen one since arriving in St Moritz. That was when Rukia piped up again, a somewhat devious idea clearly in her mind.

"I know exactly where we can host it," she said, cheekiness in her eyes.

…

Toshiro and the rest of the IreAussie crew, minus the coaches, had meet back in the lobby of Rukia's hotel after having split off in small teams to gather the barbeque necessities. Toshiro had been sent off with his sisters and Jinta to find light snacks – chips and such – and he had spent most of the time only just resisting the temptation to stick his foot out and accidently/not so accidently trip the redheaded punk his sister adored. Luckily for Jinta, Karin managed to distract Toshiro with an array of Australian snacks when they found a large supermarket with an international food aisle. Perpetually homesick, Toshiro bought just about every Aussie food he could find, and Karin having been away for so long only encouraged him by scurrying off to get another carry basket.

Mission successful and food in tow, they met back up with Rangiku and Gin who were of course in charge of sorting out drinks, and Ichigo and Renji who were looking after the meat, bread and all relevant barbequing goods. Soifon returned with disposable cups and plates, all painfully plastic but 'convenient for the clean-up'… unless it's the Earth that is being cleaned. Other Aussie athletes who had been at the rink turned up too, all bringing something to the party – drinking games, music speakers, whatever they could find really.

Turning back to his phone where a rather flirtatious exchange of texts between him and Rukia were left, Toshiro asked her for the room number of this mystery barbeque venue of hers and she replied instantly, the group not hesitating any longer than necessary.

All squishing into one lift, Toshiro felt his eye twitch as he felt Jinta's arms brush by him as they wrapped around Yuzu. Still, he had promised to be nice and soon he would be drunk and with Rukia and it wouldn't matter anymore.

Falling out of the elevator, the group moved down the hallway to the room Rukia had said and soon the Irish girl was letting them in. There was a commotion ahead of Toshiro as Rukia reunited with her team mates, but finally he was standing inside a massive suite, the beautiful woman in front of him.

A gushing Yuzu was dragged away and it was just the two of them again. She looked so beautiful in the same dress she had worn on their date.

"Hi," Rukia looked at him, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Hello," Toshiro murmured, stepping closer to greet her with a quick kiss.

He smiled at her as they pulled back apart, his hand dropping from her waist to her own hand, linking them together before he led her over to where Rangiku had set up a makeshift bar and was already mixing drinks.

"What's on the menu?" Rukia asked Rangiku as Toshiro pulled out a stool for her and the Irish girl hopped up.

"Anything you want," Rangiku drawled as Toshiro pulled himself into the next stool. "As long as you can use your imagination."

Toshiro rolled his eyes sufferingly again knowing that they were about to get a disgusting and deadly combination of cheap and nasty spirits. Beside him, Rukia laughed.

"How dae yeh feel aboot yer win?" Gin asked leaning against the bar with a tea towel thrown over his shoulder like a true barman.

"Still in shock," Rukia replied. "Still feel like I should have gone for gold, but…"

She shrugged casually.

"You were amazing," Toshiro interjected quickly, knowing what the shrug was implying. He grabbed her hand again and held it over her lap, running his thumb gently across her knuckles.

Rukia smiled softly up at him, her cheeks once again dusted beautifully with a pink hue.

"You two are too cute," Gin echoed Rangiku's words from earlier.

Those two were just too cute.

Rangiku pushed two drinks towards them, both poignant in smell and a colour that was indescribable.

Toshiro did the smart thing and waited for Rukia to try hers first.

The Irish woman took a tentative sip and her reaction wasn't of immediate disgust, so that was reassuring, though she hardly looked thrilled with it.

"How is it?" Toshiro asked her, glancing down at his own ominous looking beverage.

"Tasty," Rukia said enthusiastically and Toshiro was sure it was an exaggeration but still, the woman hadn't spat it back out so how bad could it really be?

The answer: really fucking bad.

"You lied," Toshiro recoiled as his face scrunched in disgust.

"I was using my _imagination,"_ Rukia pointed out, emphasising her word choice.

Toshiro felt a twitch of a smile on his lips before he rolled his eyes again. They were getting quite the work out today.

"I think it's great," Karin supplied, the dark haired twin always one for sneaking up on people and interjecting her comments where they weren't invited. She was basically the alcoholic version of Arya Stark.

"That's because all you can taste is alcohol," Toshiro replied quickly, unfazed.

"Why would you want to taste anything else?" Karin gave a look of mock confusion and Toshiro resisted rolling his eyes again – his eyeballs were starting the hurt from it.

"Thanks, Babe," Rangiku winked at Karin, immediately silencing the younger twin who almost choked on her second sip of the drink.

Rukia and Gin chuckled, Toshiro made a grim face.

Thankfully Rukia changed the topic then, her hand squeezing Toshiro's gently as she spoke.

"I still can't believe you all came out to watch me," she said, shaking her hand a little and Toshiro squeezed her hand back. "Seriously thank you so much."

Rukia's eyes swept over everyone and they all smiled back at her.

"Anytime," Rangiku was the one to respond, her eyes bright and excited.

Rukia then seemed to catch Gin's eye and then the two were silently slipping away. Toshiro sent Rukia a questioning glance as she detached her hand from his but she only smiled back.

"Where are they going?" Karin asked, frowning as she, Toshiro and Rangiku watched the Irish friends disappear into a bedroom.

Toshiro shrugged, "Scheming, probably."

Rangiku giggled, and topped up Toshiro's still completely full drink with more vodka.

"So," she sent him a knowing smirk. "Rukia practically jumped into your arms today. I imagine that's good news for you."

"Yeah," Toshiro breathed, ignoring the way Karin's eyes were boring into him from the side. "That seems pretty committed, right?"

"She did just suck your face off in front of everyone," Karin rolled her eyes, "but then again, she did that on night one too."

Toshiro didn't needed to be reminded of the fact his sisters had a front row view of the event.

Instead he steered them away from it, speaking mostly to Rangiku when he told her about some of the things Rukia had spoken to him about since their wild gym bathroom rendezvous, about how she had spoken of feeling lonely and perhaps wanting more.

"I mean," Toshiro shifted in his seat, "do you think that it means…"

He couldn't quite bring himself to say it, not with Karin right there, not with his heart on the line.

"Yeah, Bub," Rangiku spoke softly, her smile gentle as she knew instantly what he meant. "I think it does."

It meant Rukia was interested in pursuing a relationship with him, for real.

"Okay good," Toshiro nodded resolutely, feeling a little light headed but whether that was the alcohol or the revelation, he didn't know.

Without another word, he slipped of his stool and headed to the balcony door, the need for fresh air suddenly hitting him. Rangiku followed him but Karin didn't, instead favouring the now abandoned bar to take advantage of all the free alcohol lying around unguarded.

Toshiro and Rangiku said nothing, happily sinking into a comfortable silence. They watched with slight smirks as Renji and Ichigo bickered about the best way to start a barbeque but after a minute, they had the grill up and running and were throwing copious amounts of meat onto the thing. It was like they intended to feed the entire village that night, not the small party that had gathered in the suite that evening.

Somewhere else in the room, someone had got the music going too, and casual beats filled the room, providing a relaxed and happy atmosphere.

"What are those?" Rukia's voice caught Toshiro's attention and the snowboarder turned to see the silver medallist had returned and was standing at the snacks table, eyeing up a familiar favourite Australian treat.

"They're 'Shapes'," Toshiro told her, sliding over to her.

Rukia picked up one of a few boxes, the purple one which was the pizza flavour.

"And they're crisps?" Rukia asked.

By crisps, he had to assume she meant chips, and no they were not.

"You've never had Shapes?" he asked, surprised. Did… Did the rest of the world just not have them? How tragic!

He took the box from her hand and opened it up, offering the cracker-type biscuits to her. She looked sceptical, picking one out and sniffing it a little first. Toshiro fixed her with a wide grin as he picked one out for himself and ate it immediately. He was already going for a second one when Rukia finally took a tentative bite from hers.

The effect was immediate, the skater's whole face lighting up as the flavour hit her.

"Oh my gosh," she said, eyes lighting up. "They're amazing."

"Right?" Toshiro chucked, popping a third pizza Shape into his mouth. He gestured then to the other Shapes boxes on the table, the other flavours that had been picked up. "It will be curious to see which one you like."

He picked up the orange box next, the one where the flavour was affectionately called –

"Chicken crimpies?" Rukia asked, picking out a cracker and noticed the different shape of it.

Each flavour of Shapes came in their own, well, shape. Pizza shapes were little hexagons, while chicken crimpies were oval, but had crimped edges, hence the name.

She ate it and Toshiro watched her with intense curiosity. Shapes were no joke at home and nothing caused a riot quite like an argument over which flavour was best. It was an intense passion in Australia. Toshiro certainly knew which were his favourites and they were-

"I think I prefer the pizza ones," Rukia announced after a moment, slicing Toshiro's heart in two.

"I think we're going to fall out," Toshiro frowned and she giggled.

"I guess you like the chicken crimpies?" she asked, her smile only growing. "Is that an Aussie thing?"

"Yes," he told her quickly. "A massive debate in Australia breaks out around why chicken crimpies are better than pizza Shapes."

They were the top two flavours, with the barbeque flavour a close third, but the fight over whether pizza could out rank chicken crimpies was not yet won, even though Toshiro knew the cult following behind chicken crimpies would never allow silly pizza to take over. Only fools thought otherwise. Was Rukia a fool?

"Let me be clear," she tried to defend herself. "I like the pizza ones because I don't get to have actually pizza very often."

Toshiro ate two more chicken crimpies as he took in her words and tried to think of a calm response. Australians did not take this argument lightly, but he didn't want to scare the poor girl. It was a joke of course, but everyone was passionate about it.

"I hear what you're saying," Toshiro nodded seriously, "and it's a fine argument. But chicken is still best."

It would not be negotiated.

Rukia, apparently realising this was fanatical past time of her many new friends, engaged him in a friendly debate. Toshiro grinned as they swapped points, watching Rukia get into it, her arguments becoming slowly more passionate as they continued. They would make a good Aussie out of her yet.

Their debate only wound down when they took to spying on Rangiku and Gin instead, the tall man leading the strawberry blonde into a quiet corner less discreetly then Toshiro thought Gin might have been going for. It was hard to be discreet in a room this size, with two very nosy best friends close by. Toshiro might have considered giving them more space and privacy, but he couldn't remember a time Rangiku had actually done that for him, and so he and Rukia strained their hearing and snuck secret glances, watching as Gin pulled out a package from his bag and handed it to Rangiku.

"Ah got yeh something," the silver haired man said softly, but just loud enough that Toshiro, and likely Rukia, could hear.

Rangiku, a lover of gifts, immediately began to tug at the bow holding the box together, surprise and delight across her features.

"What inspired this?" she asked.

"Just thought yeh'd maybe like yin," Gin answered with a casual shrug, even though Toshiro could clearly see the intense desire to please Rangiku in his eyes.

It was almost enough to make Toshiro roll his eyes for the ninety-fifth time this evening.

Toshiro's desire to eye roll was interrupted, however, by Rangiku's soft gasp as she peered inside the now open box.

"Is it tartan?" Rangiku asked excitedly, a second gasp as she reached in and pulled the item from the box. "Oh my god, it's so soft!"

Toshiro caught a glance of the gift; it appeared to be a pink, tartan thing. A scarf maybe, or a blanket perhaps.

"More a shawl," Gin answered for them both, watching intensely as Rangiku pulled the fabric over her shoulders, her hands gliding over the apparently soft material as she went.

Toshiro took a lengthy sip of his drink as he watched Rangiku begin to gush about the shawl, her voice growing louder as it normally did when she got to talk about fashion, or gifts people have given her, or both as it were in this case.

Gin answered her questions regarding fabric and Rangiku ate it up, swooning and crushing harder than Toshiro had ever seen her do. Toshiro took another sip of his purely alcohol cocktail; _it was fine_, he had approved of Gin, Gin was a good guy, Rangiku was _fine_, everyone was_ fine_, and Rukia was happy about it.

And Rukia did appear very happy about the scene unfolding near them. Toshiro managed to tear his eyes away from Rangiku as Gin began handing over a second gift, believe it or not, and instead the white haired snowboarder focused on the Irish woman instead. Rukia looked just as delighted as Rangiku, despite not being the one receiving gifts, but Toshiro supposed that was because it looked as though her best friend was very likely getting lucky with Rangiku that night. As much as that idea made Toshiro still feel a little uncomfortable, even after giving his stamp of approval for Gin, it was hard to argue against when it had Rukia's eyes lit up with pride and excitement for the snowboard cross rider.

Toshiro held no doubt that the women in his life had complete control of him, and that they would likely be the death of him too one day.

"Another one?" Rangiku asked, even more surprised by the second gift she was being handed.

"Well it sorta goes with it," Gin gestured to the first gift wrapped around Rangiku's shoulders.

The second gift was a brooch. Not just any brooch though, it was in fact a family heirloom.

Toshiro watched with pinched eyebrows and slightly parted lips as Gin rushed to explain how he had given Rangiku a brooch with his family crest on it so that he would be with her, you know, when she goes home to a country on the opposite side of the globe.

_Christ_, Gin was going to get lucky tonight.

Right on cue, Rangiku was stepping closer to the man, her eyes doing that thing were they flicker to a man's lips just briefly before settle higher, fixing the man with a look so powerful that Satan himself would have to give in.

Toshiro held the resigned sigh and turned away, deciding that watching Rukia's reaction to the inevitable kiss would be much better than the actual thing.

It was silent between the four of them, the others across the room less so as they were caught up in the fun activities of the barbeque and not paying them any attention. Despite the silence passing over their small group in the corner, Toshiro could practically here Rukia's internal screaming, her eyes piercing as she stared at Gin, telepathically egging him on.

The moment their lips touched Toshiro never actually witnessed but he knew it had happened by the sudden change in Rukia's expression. She went from excited and determined, maybe even somewhat frustrated, to extremely triumphant and entirely ecstatic. The cheer died on her tongue but the silent fist pump did not.

Toshiro couldn't help but grin, the chuckle lodged in his throat. That was much better than watching the kiss.

Rukia turned back to him, her eyes alight with satisfaction and Toshiro smiled back at her.

If getting Rangiku and Gin to kiss made her react like that, Toshiro should have encouraged it ages ago.

He nodded his head away, hoping to pull Rukia away from the kissing couple so they could perhaps have a kiss of their own, or at least weren't standing creepily by their making out besties.

"Finally," Rukia breathed when they made their way over to the furthest away corner.

"I know," Toshiro chuckled, still amused by Rukia more than Gin and Rangiku. "That was a long time coming."

"It doesn't bother you?" Rukia asked, perhaps seeing through Toshiro a little too much.

Toshiro glanced back over to the couple, catching his first glimpse of them kissing. He noted Gin's respectful hands not straying from Rangiku's hips and shook his head, returning his gaze back to Rukia.

"No, Gin is a good guy, even I can see that now," Toshiro told her.

In truth, he would never been entirely comfortable with it. He just wouldn't – Rangiku was his sister, in all the ways the really counted. Gin was a good guy, Toshiro did know that, but as a brother he decided he would never give up his right to be a little overprotective. Still, Rangiku deserved happiness and if that's what Gin gave her, than Toshiro could live with it.

"Besides," he continued, sending Rukia a teasing look as he turned the conversation a little, "I'm scared to say anything bad about him when his best friend is within punching distance."

Rukia laughed and punched his arm anyway, which Toshiro used to close the distance between them and pull the skater into his embrace. After all that, maybe he could catch a kiss of his own.

Toshiro glanced around for somewhere to put his drink and leaned over to deposit the cup on a nearby cabinet. Now with both arms free, he wrapped them around Rukia, turning to look at her only to find her looking at Gin and Rangiku again. This time her eyes weren't so delighted – they were off, in that unreadable way that didn't seem to spell good news.

"Rukia?" Toshiro called her back, rubbing her lower back softly as her entire body seemed to go stiff.

When she turned back to him, she looked almost terrified, but her gaze didn't settle on him for long. Violet irises flickered around the room, as if she was suddenly very aware that they weren't alone.

"What's wrong?" he prompted again, eyebrows dipping to a frown when something uncomfortable settled in his stomach.

Anxiety, insecurity, an ominous feeling that everything was about to go tits up – all of it forming in his chest very suddenly.

Was Rukia about to break things off with him?

That didn't make any sense after the day they had but the woman in front of him didn't seem to be projecting any positive feelings at all. She was looking around, like she was noticing all of his friends and family in the room. Like she was suddenly regretting this place to do whatever it was she was about to do.

In the back of his mind, Momo's words were already beginning to swirl around, quiet but definitely present.

'_You're too fucked to realise the only person who loves you is me.'_

"Toshiro," Rukia started as Toshiro's breath caught, his heart plummeting in anticipation for the words that were coming.

They never came though. They never got to.

At the moment, a roar that was almost inhuman exploded around the suite and everyone in the room was silenced, turning sharply to face the cause of the commotion. The music died then quickly too as someone had the brains to shut it off.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood in the centre of the room, his face distorted with ugly anger. Suddenly Toshiro knew where Rukia had sourced the suite from, and how it was about to bite them all in the ass.

"Too far Rukia," Byakuya hissed when his eyes found hers and Toshiro tightened his arms around Rukia, not willing to let her go even though he knew logically that he should.

Angry older brothers were something Toshiro was extremely familiar with, firstly due to having one, and secondly due to being one. Yeah, Toshiro was going to get punched for sure.

Punched and broken up with.

_Fabulous._

The older Kuchiki stomped towards them, the Australian team parting quickly and quietly to let him through, not willing to argue with the man who looked just about akin to a wild animal at this point.

"I want everyone gone," Byakuya demanded. "I want everyone out now."

No one moved and Toshiro felt all eyes in the room turn to him and the Kuchiki siblings. The tension was thick in the room, so thick that Toshiro was sure that no one could breathe anymore.

Byakuya seemed to then notice Toshiro's proximity to his little sister, and more specifically the hands he had on her body.

"Let go of her," he spat with venom, voice dangerously low.

Definitely gearing himself up to be hit, Toshiro tightened his arms around Rukia and absently thought of how he would react to seeing Jinta do the same thing to Yuzu. _Fuck he would be livid._ In spite of this, and knowing how much Byakuya would be hating him right now, Toshiro stood his ground. If Rukia wanted to dump him, that was one thing, but she could damn well tell him herself, not blame it on her brother.

Suddenly Byakuya was laughing, and not in the fun, humorous way. No, this laugh was twisted and menacing, somewhat deranged and entirely lacking any sort of humour.

"What, you think she cares about you?" Byakuya turned on Toshiro. "She doesn't care about anyone but herself."

Toshiro didn't move, he didn't even flinch. He supposed he couldn't when his body was so stiff.

The words sliced through him, his heart having the physical integrity of a soggy piece of paper in this moment.

Momo's words grew stronger in the back of his mind.

'_You're an idiot and no one will love you like I did.'_

"You've been whoring yourself around again," Byakuya continued, turning on Rukia again. "Treating men like they're some kind of sick twisted play thing, like they don't even have feelings. But it's you, Rukia, you who needs to look in the mirror, because you don't give a shit about anyone but yourself and you never have. See all those little cracks in that reflection that stares back at you? It's about time those cracks gave way!"

"Wait a minute," Toshiro cut in, Byakuya's disgusting words registering with him finally – what kind of brother spoke about his sister like that? Toshiro could never imagine speaking to the twins like that, not even Rangiku, no matter the situation.

The snowboarder moved in front of Rukia just slightly, but the move was obvious enough to Byakuya who saw the thinly veiled threat – _you're going to have to go through me first._

"Don't you dare try to defend her," Byakuya laughed that evil laugh again, rising to the challenge. "What did you think you were _special? _Did you genuinely think she gave a crap about your feelings? She doesn't. She does this with every single other guy she meets and in a weeks' time you'll just be another little insignificant number she'll have blocked on her phone and forgotten from her thoughts as she moves onto the next guy in line."

Every single insecurity, every single hopeless thought he'd had about pursuing Rukia came flooding back.

'_She sleeps with everyone, you're probably just a random she'll throw away after the games.'_

He had tried so hard, tried to show her that he could be worth something, tried to give her someone to lean on, someone who cared about her.

Surely Rukia saw that in him, surely she felt it. Toshiro _knew_ she felt it. Didn't he? _Didn't she?_

He turned back to face her, blissfully ignoring every other person in the room watching this terrible exchange.

"It's not true though, is it?" he asked her, desperation leaking into his voice and eyes.

Rukia was pale, more so than he had ever seen her. Her eyes were scared, but they were also confused in a way that suggested she didn't know how to answer.

"Tell me it's not true," Toshiro said then, the command dying with his weak, pathetic voice.

The skater didn't move, her mouth didn't open, and the confusion he saw in her eyes was looking more and more like guilt with every passing millisecond.

Guilt because it was true; Toshiro wasn't anything special to her.

'_Rukia won't ever love you back because you will never be anything more than a good fuck for her.'_

The snowboarder's shoulders slumped with the realisation and he let out one more, pitiful attempt to get her to change his mind.

"Rukia?"

He had never sounded so pathetic.

"See, I told you," Byakuya's voice cut in. Byakuya's voice, but Momo's words. "Go home, Kid. Save yourself what little dignity you have because she'll strip it all from you by the end of this week if you don't go now. Everyone out."

This time people moved. Toshiro didn't, not at first. He felt as everyone, one by one, left the room, the eyes of his family lingering on him a touch longer than his teammates. The room slowly emptied, leaving behind the mess, but Toshiro's eyes didn't leave Rukia, begging her to say something, anything to stop him.

She never did, and so Toshiro left and nobody called out for him to stay.

…

Toshiro was drunk. Oh so incredibly drunk, possibly the drunkest he had ever been, ever.

He was horizontal now, stomach pressed into the carpet and staring blearily at the sideways and spinning room, his head in someone's – probably Rangiku's – lap, while a hand – again, probably Rangiku's – carded delicately through his hair.

There was music, but it sounded shit, like a phone sitting in a plastic cup – a poor man's party speaker.

There was giggling somewhere else in the room – it sounded like Yuzu, and then a male voice. Probably Jinta, the prick.

Karin's face suddenly popped into his field of vision, features blurry but undoubtedly her. She appeared to lie down next to him, propping her head on her arm.

"Aw come on, Tosh," she smirked at him as she took a sip out of a large, almost empty, vodka bottle. "You promised to match me one for one, and now you're down here on the ground like a baby."

"Mm not no a baby," Toshiro grumbled with frown, trying to remember when exactly he challenged is borderline alcoholic sister to a drinking match.

"You drink as well as you play soccer," Karin teased, pinching his cheek. "Up you get, Big Boy."

Toshiro sluggishly lifted his head.

"You wanna soccer match?" he slurred, barely able to hold his head up at this point. "Let's go, Kazza, I'll beat you, jus' watch meh."

Karin's grin widened and she gave him her token 'bring it on, bitch' gesture. _Oh, it was so on_. Except that it wasn't, because when Toshiro tried to sit himself up, his elbows collapsed beneath him and he face-planted back into the warm lap beneath him.

"Maybe we'll just let him rest now," Rangiku's voice was quiet above him but he could still hear her. "He's had a lot to drink thanks to us."

"You were the one who told me to do my worst," Karin reminded her, humour in her voice. "You said he wanted to get drunk."

"And now he is," Rangiku chuckled before she poked his shoulder gently but deliberately, "which I am sure he is gonna regret in the morning."

Toshiro groaned and rolled over, with a great deal of help from Rangiku, onto his back. As it turned out, it was Rangiku's lap his head was in. He glanced up at her but clenched his eyes shut immediately, unsure if it was the pity in her eyes or the horrendously bright lights above them that had him doing it, though it was probably the former.

"Mm gon regret a lot of things tomorrow," Toshiro murmured, "but tha's tomorrow's problem, y'know?"

Despite all the drinks he'd had that evening, despite how drunk he had definitely gotten, the one thing he had been trying to forget was the one thing that hadn't left the forefront of his mind.

He remembered, in excruciating detail, the confrontation with Byakuya, and the resulting break up with Rukia – could they break up if they weren't technically together? – but it was everything that followed that was now blurry.

After that, his memory of the evening was vague at best and got startlingly worse as the hours drew on.

Out in the hallway, his sisters and Rangiku had waited, Gin had been there too, while most of the others were further up the hall, waiting for the elevator but all staring at him as he emerged from the suite.

Rangiku had made to move towards him, "Bub-"

"Don't," Toshiro had managed, throwing a hand up to cut her off before he slipped around her and immediately into the nearby fire escape stairwell.

He had run away like a coward but he didn't care, not then or now. He wasn't going to calmly wait for the lift with everyone staring at him while his blood was pounding in his ears, his chest tightening unbearably, all the while Momo and Byakuya's voices had been swirling around in his brain, so loud they were practically screaming. He had needed out, so out he went.

He didn't know how many flights of stairs he made it down before he walked straight into a wall, stopping there to rest his forehead against the cold, grimy concrete. He had thrown a hand over his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing and figure out his next move.

He hadn't wanted to face anyone, yet hadn't wanted to be alone either.

Fortunately his decision was made for him, when Rangiku suddenly appeared in the dirty stairwell.

"It's just me," she said calmly, hands up in surrender when he whipped around at the sound of her footsteps.

Toshiro shook his head without knowing why before slipping down to sit on one of the stairs.

"I don't want to hear it, Ran," he muttered, sensing the words about to come from her mouth.

She was the only person in the world, plus maybe Yukio, that was allowed to see him like this, but that didn't mean he wanted to get into a deep and meaningful with her just now.

Rangiku was cautious in her approach, he could tell, and she sat down on the step beside him, her movements slow and silent.

They had probably sat there for a few minutes before she tried again.

"Rukia likes you," she said quickly and firmly before he could cut her off.

"No, she doesn't," Toshiro returned just as quickly, voice calmer than he expected, "not the way I want her to."

"I think it was just the situation and-"

"No, Ran!" Toshiro hissed getting to his feet abruptly. He stomped down a couple more stairs before he turned to face his best friend. "She doesn't."

Rangiku looked up at him, sadness in her eyes but silent, willing him to continue. Despite not wanting to talk, Toshiro couldn't stop the words from spilling out.

"She doesn't want me," Toshiro said, voice wavering in a way he hated. "I wasn't asking for a declaration of fucking love. Three words – that's all it would have took. 'It's not true'."

He covered his eyes, feeling the familiar sting, and groaned.

"It's not true," he repeated, breaking a little. "That's all I wanted to hear, Ran, but she couldn't tell me."

Because it was true – she didn't want anything more from him once the games were done. He was a good fuck, a nice cuddle, a bit of fun to hang with, but it was a fling and nothing more. An Olympic romance and that alone.

A soft sigh escaped Rangiku's lips and Toshiro heard her move off the step and down to him, her arms coming around his shoulders a moment later. She was tall enough to tuck him under her chin.

"I can see you're angry," she murmured, "and I get it, I do, but I'm not convinced that's what Rukia truly feels, but let's leave it for tonight. We're gonna go do something; hit the town, get some fresh air, whatever you want to do."

_But tomorrow we're going to talk about it and sort this out._

It was left unsaid but Toshiro was familiar with how Rangiku operated; she believed just about everything could be sorted with a glass of red wine and a decent sleep.

Toshiro huffed; he was done with tonight, but he didn't want to go to bed either, not while he could still think about the day's events. From waking up in Rukia's bed and the slow morning sex, to her incredible finals, to now; how had the day gone so fucking wrong?

"Just get me drunk," he muttered into her shoulder.

Rangiku squeezed his body and the gleeful grin was evident in her voice when she replied.

"_Absolutely."_

And that was how Toshiro had gotten to where he was now, lying on his back on the hotel room floor, head in his best friend's lap and his sister itching to pour more alcohol down his throat. Just past her, he could see Jinta kissing Yuzu by the door, and luckily for the redhead, Toshiro was too drunk to do anything about it.

When Karin and Yuzu had gotten involved, Toshiro couldn't remember. He wasn't even sure whose room it was, but judging by the mess around him, it was probably Rangiku's. He just remembered Rangiku shoving a bottle of vodka in his hand and Karin pulling out a deck of cards, announcing they were going to play a new drinking game she had learned.

He was pretty sure she had made it up herself because Toshiro found himself having to take a shot at every turn.

"Oh my god, Toshiro!" Yuzu's voice squealed suddenly from the other side of the room, Jinta now missing from the room, presumably returning to the pits of Hell where he was from. "You have a playlist called 'Yu zoom' and it's all my favourite songs!"

Toshiro frowned and tried to lift his head again, squinting as he tried to focus on Yuzu who was coming towards him with his phone and the plastic speaker cup he had suspected. He now vaguely recalled handing his phone over to the girls for music purposes, since he had the widest selection of songs, as proclaimed by Rangiku.

"It's got BTS and Miley!" she exclaimed, eyes going wide as she dropped to her knees beside him, shoving his own phone in his face to show him like he didn't know what playlists he had in his Spotify rotation.

Yes, he had a Yuzu playlist, one he called 'Yu Zoom' which he thought was quite cleverly named since he only ever put it on when he had Yuzu in the car with him.

"For when I drive you places," Toshiro shrugged, trying to sit up again and managing with Rangiku's help. "So you're happy in the car wi' me."

He had made it before she had gotten her licence and was actually driving her around a lot more, but he kept it up to date with the songs he knew she liked for when she needed him to drive her again, mostly to and from parties and what not.

"There's one called 'Killa Kazza' too," Yuzu laughed, handing the phone to Karin who let out a snort.

'Killa Kazza' was Karin's playlist for the same purpose, but it certainly did not have BTS (it did have Miley Cyrus though).

"Yeah I love that playlist," Karin chuckled scrolling through the songs.

Unlike her twin, Karin did know of her playlist in Toshiro's Spotify and was regularly involved in keeping it up to date with her favourite music. Even from Germany, she would message him with a song, telling him to add it.

The black haired twin suddenly let out a loud laugh.

"Fuck, there's three playlists for Ichigo," Karin smirked, going through them all.

"Ichi-GO, Ichi-NO, and Ichi-SLO" Yuzu read over her sister's shoulder.

"He moody," Toshiro shrugged, "but don' tell 'im I said tha'."

Ichi-GO was full of happy, pumped up songs, Ichi-NO was full of angry, punk shit and Ichi-SLO was for slower, sadder songs. Toshiro was ready for any mood his brother hit him with, though the playlists were rarely needed since he never really drove Ichigo anywhere – since he was the last person Ichigo would ever ask – and on the rare occasion that he did, he generally just passed the aux cable straight to the older Shiba and told him to go for gold, deciding that was the safest option of all.

"Fuck you're paranoid," Karin muttered, mostly with humour, as she continued scrolling through his playlists, undoubtedly finding one for every member of the family, and a bunch for his friends too.

"Paranoid?" Yuzu asked, with a frown.

A beat of silence passed before Karin eventually shrugged her sister off with a toneless 'Never mind'.

Karin and Rangiku both knew why he had tailored music playlists for everyone, and it was largely because he figured Yuzu or whoever else wouldn't want to drive places with him without it. He was paranoid they wouldn't want to spend any time with him without their music to help.

More silence passed over the group, well minus the upbeat pop of Taylor Swift from the Yu Zoom playlist that had started pouring out of the phone's little speakers.

"What music do you like?" Yuzu asked him suddenly and when Toshiro looked up, she was staring at him with a strange expression.

Toshiro blinked at his sister, before shrugging probably a little too much. He wasn't used to Yuzu taking that sort of interest in him, and to his surprise, it was oddly confronting. He wasn't sure why, and the alcohol made it hard to understand, and even harder to answer.

Seemingly unsatisfied with that answer, Yuzu plucked the phone back out of Karin's hand and started scrolling herself, perhaps looking for a playlist Toshiro might have made for himself. To be fair, there were lots of those too, one for every activity and mood; Toshiro was big on playlists, he couldn't lie about that.

Suddenly feeling insecure about his taste in music that his sister had under investigation, Toshiro took a large swig of from Karin's vodka bottle. A lot of it missed his mouth completely and began dripping down his chins. He choked on the swallowing part though, of what he actually managed to get into his mouth, when his phone suddenly chimed with a new message.

_Rukia._

Yuzu stilled, her eyes going to the notification banner that surely appeared and reading.

"Who the fuck is messaging you now?" Karin frowned, leaning over to check her own phone. "It's after two in the morning."

The way Yuzu's face dropped and her hand came up to stifle a gasp told Toshiro quickly that the person texting him wasn't Rukia, which was the first wave of disappointment to hit him, and the second wave was realising who the text likely was. See, it was after two in the morning in Switzerland, but that meant it after ten in the morning in Australia.

"Who is it?" Karin asked again when Yuzu didn't answer her, and Toshiro made to grab the phone but in his state, missed completely and fell out of Rangiku's lap, face first into the carpet

"Momo!" Karin exclaimed suddenly, appalled and Toshiro turned his face on the carpet to see Karin – actually two Karins because he was officially that drunk – now holding his phone.

She appeared to do some tapping on his phone, presumably opening up the message stream he had from his ex. Toshiro groaned, feeling Rangiku's hands on his arms, helping his head back into her lap.

"Holy shit," Yuzu swore, reading the texts over Karin's shoulder.

He knew it was bad, but Yuzu swearing meant it was really fucking bad.

Toshiro had to turn away, curling back into Rangiku when the blonde twin looked up at him with watery eyes. He didn't even want to know what Karin was thinking.

His head hurt, his vision was blurry and he suddenly felt the overwhelming need to throw up. The music was cut off, and Toshiro never thought he would miss Taylor Swift's songs but suddenly he did. Anything was better than the tense silence in the room.

"Toshiro, what the fuck is this message?" Karin hissed loudly, before she began to read – out loud – the long and brutal text Momo had sent him the day he had fallen in practice.

He didn't need her to read it, he remembered it word for word, miss-spellings and all.

'_Ur real parents didn't love u so they threw u away like garbage. Isshin will never love u like he loves his REAL kids, no matter how much u suck up 2 him with snowboarding. Even ur siblings hate u! Ichigo wishes u were never adopted, Yuzu only comes 2 u when she wants somethin and Karin had 2 move 2 Germany 2 get the fuck away from u. That bitch Rukia won't ever love u back because u will never b anythin more than a good fuck 4 her. I hope ur dead mum is proud of wat an asshole u turned out 2 b'._

Toshiro had been wrong – tense silence had been way better than this.

"You don't think this stuff though, right?" Yuzu asked him once Karin was done, her voice breaking and Toshiro couldn't answer, clenching his eyes shut tight and burying himself further in Rangiku's side.

Of course, if tonight was anything to go by, then Momo had been right about at least one of those points.

"Why didn't you tell me she had gotten this bad?" Rangiku asked him softly and Toshiro shook his head, throat constricting on him.

"Gotten this bad?" Karin echoed. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since they broke up," Rangiku answered, sadness in her voice. "He's blocked her everywhere but she keeps making new accounts on Instagram to message him since he has a public profile. I've told him to get a restraining order but…"

He felt her shrug.

"Well she can go fuck herself," Karin spat, and then a whole other lot of expletives fell from her lips as she creatively described the woman on the other end of those messages.

Toshiro shook his head, vehemently denying the whole thing was happening to him and Rangiku put a soothing hand on the back of his neck, but it didn't stop the sickening feeling he was developing in his stomach, or the panic rising in his chest. It was suddenly worse that he was drunk, because now his body was so heavy, he could barely move it, and his thoughts weren't straightforward anymore – they were confused and tangled together in a dark web.

"I wan' go home," Toshiro murmured in Rangiku's lap but she mustn't have caught it.

"What was that, Bub?"

Toshiro shook his head again; he couldn't repeat it, it hurt enough the first time he said it.

"There," Karin said after a moment, an aggressive triumph in her voice as she seemed to slam something – hopefully not, but likely, his phone – to the ground.

"What did you do?" Rangiku asked, voice cautious.

"Told her kindly to fuck off," Karin said, voice laced with sarcasm and anger, "amongst other things. I also screenshotted the message and sent it to the family chat."

"You what?!" Toshiro exclaimed suddenly, shooting into an upright sitting position so fast it had his vision swimming dangerously and stomach churning.

"No, fuck off, Toshiro," Karin turned back to him, eyes full of angry tears and a voice to match. "This involves all of us now."

"No it doesn'," Toshiro tried to stand, only to not be able to get off his knees without falling. "It's between me an' her."

"Not when she says those things about us," Karin said, voice wavering but each word measured, "and you believe her."

Toshiro stopped trying to get up and fell back onto his ass, watching as a tear fell from Karin's eyes. _Did he do that?_

"Do you really think I went to Germany to get away from you?" Karin asked him, sending him a pointed look.

Fuck, Toshiro was too drunk for this. Why did he ask for this again?

Oh right. Rukia, who he hadn't forgotten, and now another relationship of his was on the wire.

"Ye- n-no, I don't-," Toshiro stammered, shaking his head again. "I-I don't know. I just thought that – that like, y'know. You like, wanted sp-pace from me 'cos 'm clingy with you, a-and you just needed a break or whatever… from me."

Drunk words, sober thoughts. It was his truth, but the look on Karin's face told him he had answered wrongly.

He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her cry, but she was crying now.

"How can you think that?" she accused, venom lacking due to the sob that followed.

Toshiro crawled blindly towards her, reaching out to bring her into a warm, albeit extremely drunken hug, the apology on his lips but she shoved him away harshly and stormed from the room. He stared at the door she slammed behind herself in shock, blinking at in uncomprehendingly.

No one moved to him, and Toshiro was only brought back when he heard Yuzu's sniffle. He looked at her wet cheeks and swore to himself.

Two out of two sisters were crying because of him tonight.

He tried his luck with her, stumble-crawling over to her and thankfully, she welcomed his embrace. Toshiro was so intoxicated that he was sure that she was holding him more than he was holding her but either way he was just glad she wasn't pushing him away like Karin.

"I'm so sorry," he choked out, "I love you, please don't go."

He might have been crying himself, he didn't know, but he ended up lying in her lap like he had been doing with Rangiku most the evening, his arms around her waist and holding on for dear life. He felt so sick, and so utterly drunk. He was confused, knowing he had fucked up but unsure as to how exactly. He was scared more than anything, that if he let go of Yuzu she would leave like Karin and not come back. If she said anything, he didn't catch it but he refused move when Rangiku tried to pull him away, telling him it was time for bed.

He did move, however, when two very strong arms suddenly plucked him up out of nowhere sometime later.

"No, Ran, I don't want to hear it," Isshin's strict dad voice suddenly filled Toshiro's ears. "You have your finals tomorrow, you should have been in bed hours ago, not getting him wasted."

"Dad?" Toshiro slurred, trying to look up at the man as he was lifted into a standing position, only for him to crumple into Isshin's side the second he was let go. He was caught easily and brought back up to the sound of Isshin's disappointed sigh. The strong arms held Toshiro up this time as the young snowboarder closed his eyes and leaned into the burly frame; Gods, he was so fucking dizzy.

"Bed, now," Isshin said, presumably still talking to Rangiku. "You too, Yuzu. It's late."

"But Dad… Toshiro," Yuzu's voice was weak, "he's-"

"I know, Baby," Isshin sighed deeply again. "It's okay, I'll look after him. Don't you worry, get some rest."

A moment later and Toshiro was being led/half carried out of the room, tripping over his feet as he went but thankfully being held up by his father. They moved down the hall and stopped at another door, Toshiro felt Isshin fish inside Toshiro's jacket pocket and then suddenly there was a mechanical beep, and Isshin was opening the door, pulling Toshiro inside.

"What the fuck happened to him?" Ichigo's voice was muffled by the alcohol in Toshiro's brain.

"Rangiku happened to him," Isshin said, voice muffled too but louder, "and watch your language."

Toshiro found himself being sat down on the bed, his jacket stripped off him and then he was laid down onto his back.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom or anything?" Isshin asked and this time Toshiro knew he was being spoken to. He shook his head and rolled onto his side as he felt his shoes being pulled off.

A moment later, Toshiro felt Isshin sit beside him on the mattress and heard a glass being placed on the bedside table.

"There's water here if you need, go to the bathroom if you are going to be sick, okay?" Isshin told him and Toshiro nodded, eyes refusing to open and meet his father's concerned gaze.

"I'm not going to help you with your jeans," Isshin continued. "You can take them off yourself if you don't want to sleep in them."

Toshiro honestly couldn't even feel his jeans at this point. He didn't move, and to be fair he couldn't really move even if he wanted to. He felt a big hand card through his hair, brushing it away from his face.

"Why didn't you tell me about Momo, hm?" Isshin murmured softly, but Toshiro didn't dare answer. "Don't think pretending to sleep will get you out of this one, Kid. We're going to talk about this tomorrow, when you're more coherent."

Again, Toshiro didn't answer.

"Why did you even date her?" Ichigo asked and Toshiro cracked his eyes open; he had forgotten his brother was even in the room.

"Whadda you care?" Toshiro mumbled, unimpressed that he was interjecting. "You didn't even like 'er."

"Neither did you," Ichigo bit back quickly, refusing to let Toshiro have the last word as always.

Toshiro shrugged, closing his eyes again. Ichigo wasn't entirely wrong, but he wasn't completely right either; Toshiro had liked Momo, had even loved her, but not until months into their relationship. The only reason he had begun dating her was because, well, she wanted to date him.

"She paid attention to me," Toshiro answered with a bit of a drunken chuckle.

It was kind of funny, except that it wasn't. Imagine dating a girl for over three years just because he was starved for attention and she happened to look twice at him. It was sad really, definitely pathetic.

There was another beat of silence before someone, presumably Isshin, sighed deeply.

"It's late, I've got Rangiku's finals tomorrow, I'm going back to bed," the father murmured, voice tired, before he pulled the cover up around Toshiro shoulders and pressed his fingers to the snowboarder's cheek. "Sleep it off, we'll talk tomorrow."

Toshiro hummed and felt the man rise off the mattress.

"Look after your brother," Isshin's voice sounded again, though it was quieter and directed away from Toshiro's drunken form. "I'll check up on him in the morning, but call me if he gets really sick."

If Ichigo answered, it wasn't verbally, and soon Toshiro heard footsteps retreating, followed by the heavy hotel room door opening and closing. There was another sigh, a rustling of sheets in the neighbouring bed before a switch was flicked and the light on the other side of Toshiro's eyelids vanished.

Well, this day was finally fucking over and yet somehow he knew tomorrow was going to be worse.

…

** Toshiupdates**  
_OMFG DID YOU SEE OUR BABY BOY AT RUKIA'S FINAL CHEERING HER ON! AND THE FACE PAINT?! Fadafqefmaiomfs=okqwk_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_I am DYING!_

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_This is amazing! Totally looks like they're together now, right?_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_Right?! __** Aussie_skigirl**_

** ToshiroFan1234**  
_What's amazing is that if you look up Isshin Shiba/Masaki Kurosaki (Toshiro's parents), you'll see his dad did the same thing for his mum._

** Toshiupdates**  
_** ToshiroFan1234 **__I read about that! So fucking cute!_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_I hope they are together forever and ever and ever! (heart) (heart eyes)_

…

**WHOOPS**

**Please drop a review if you're liking this story! It fills me with happies :)**


	10. Crash of the Heart

**Sorry to all the people we enraged and crushed the hearts of last chapter. Chin up!**

…

If there was one thing Toshiro could be sure of, it was that the worst hangover of his life was upon him. It was slowly but surely building in his body and would undoubtedly continue to get steadily worse throughout the day.

That was the only thing he was absolutely sure of – the rest, not so much.

How much had he drunk last night? He didn't know.

Would he survive the worst hangover of his life? He couldn't be sure at this point.

Was getting wildly drunk to cover his broken heart a good idea? It had its' pros and its' cons.

How many times had he woken up during the night, drunk and disoriented? He'd lost count.

Where was he now? He had no idea, though it was probably the first thing worth investigating.

Toshiro cracked open an eye from where he was lying on a cold, hard surface, his brow creased to match the thumping migraine in his skull. The lights were off, but the room was lit enough from some source of natural light that he could just make out the porcelain toilet in front of him. He was in the bathroom, and somewhere in the back of his mind a voice reminded him it was a hotel bathroom in Switzerland, since he was at the Winter Olympics.

_Right._ Okay.

Groaning softly, Toshiro moved the pillow that had found its way under his head and pressed his throbbing forehead into the cold tiles beneath him, hoping it would provide him with even just a fraction of relief.

It didn't, and slowly the memories started to come back of yesterday's shit show of an evening.

The barbeque, the rejection, the 'after party', Momo's texts, crying sisters, Isshin putting him to bed.

_Well fuck._

The snowboarder remembered waking up several times during the night, in varying degrees of _not okay_.

He had woken up feeling a little queasy at one point, and had downed his glass of water before going back to sleep. He remembered then waking up boiling hot and just about ready to throw up, but he had kicked his blanket off, curled up and fallen back asleep easy enough. That was, until he woke up again, this time freezing cold with no blanket and was too disorientated to find it. He woke up later, still cold, but with a mouth so dry it felt like sand. His water glass had been empty, he remembered that, and so he had stumbled into the bathroom to fill it up from the tap.

That must have been how he ended up on the bathroom floor, with just flashes of memories of him throwing up violently into the toilet bowl. His stomach seemed to churn then, reminded of the events and suddenly Toshiro was lurching forward and scrambling up to reach the bowl again.

It was all dry heaving, nothing left to come out, but it was beyond painful. His throat was burning, his eyes stung and his head pounded angrily.

When the feeling passed, Toshiro sunk back to the floor and pressed his face into the tiles again, the slightest of whimpers leaving his lips. It was not looking good for his survival right now.

A warm hand touched his neck and Toshiro flinched in surprise. He turned his face and opened his eyes again to see Ichigo crouching beside him with a full glass of water. Before he could work out what was happening, his brother was using one hand to pull Toshiro up into a sitting position.

"Ichi-?" Toshiro croaked out, his throat so sore he hadn't managed the last syllable of his brother's name

Ichigo chuckled as he adjusted them both to sit against the bathroom wall. "You haven't called me that since… well, since before the girls, I think."

'Before the girls' was just code for 'before Mum died'.

Toshiro blinked dumbly as the glass of water was pressed into his hands; he hadn't meant to call Ichigo that, his voice just hadn't been working properly.

"Sorry," he managed again, voice hoarse, "if I woke you."

Ichigo waved him off, plucking the abandoned pillow off the ground and pulling Toshiro forward to slip it behind his back.

"I couldn't sleep," Ichigo told him, expression dark as he gathered up the doona Toshiro hadn't realised he'd had twisted around his legs and rearranged it to lay over both of them.

Toshiro couldn't remember bringing his blanket and pillow in from the bedroom and now he suspected it wasn't him who had done it anyway. What he did suspect was far more unbelievable, and that was that Ichigo had brought them in for him, like some sort of brother that cared.

It was unbelievable, yet so was the idea of them sitting together on the bathroom floor, huddled under a blanket, while Ichigo insisted Toshiro drink all the water he had been given, but it was happening. Toshiro didn't think he could still be so drunk that he was imagining this.

Then it got really weird – Ichigo threw an arm over Toshiro's shoulder and pulled the younger man into his side.

"What are you doing?" Toshiro asked, doing nothing to hide the obvious confusion in his voice.

This wasn't what the Shiba brothers did, or at least they hadn't since… well, 'before the girls'.

Ichigo didn't answer straight away; there was a flicker of a sad smile before the now silver medallist was staring hard at their doona-covered knees, his arm only pulling Toshiro closer until the snowboarder had no choice but to rest his head on his older brother's shoulder.

"Do you know what the best Christmas gift I ever got was?" Ichigo asked randomly.

Maybe Toshiro_ was_ still that drunk that he was imaging this whacked out version of reality.

"I don't know," Toshiro frowned, shrugging one shoulder. "Your Razor Scooter?"

He remembered that Christmas well. Ichigo must have been nine, Toshiro then six. Ichigo had spent all day riding up and down the street on his new scooter and Toshiro remembered because he hadn't been allowed to play with it. Instead he took to sitting on his father's old skateboard and rolling back and forth on the back deck.

Ichigo laughed then, at the memory of all the hours he must have enjoyed on his little scooter before he outgrew it.

"Not the scooter, no," Ichigo chuckled. There was a brief pause before the strawberry then nudged Toshiro gently. "It was you."

Toshiro frowned, more confused than ever. "What?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said, a smile hinting in his voice, "I remember it so clearly. Kukaku was babysitting me for a few days, said Mum and Dad had gone to see Santa about my Christmas presents which I thought was _amazing_. Anyway, it got to Christmas Eve and I was worried they weren't going to get back in time for Christmas day. Kukaku assured me that Santa was going to drop them off on his way, and so I should go to bed – shut up, I was three."

Toshiro had smirked, a sarcastic comment on his tongue but it would never have slipped out so he wasn't sure how Ichigo had even caught it.

"And the next morning I was woken up by Dad," Ichigo chuckled again. "Normally it's the kid who wakes the parents up early on Christmas but he was there and he was practically bouncing. I don't think I have ever seen him so excited before, even to this day. He said Santa had brought me a very special gift, and that Mum was looking after it in their room."

Toshiro was still; he had heard this story before – from Isshin, from Kukaku, but never from Ichigo.

"I ran into their room," Ichigo murmured, "and Mum was sitting there, holding my gift. She told me to come closer to see it and so I climbed onto their bed, and when I got closer, she was holding a baby. She was holding you."

Ichigo squeezed his shoulders before continuing.

"They told me Santa had brought me a little brother and I had to look after you very carefully," the older Shiba said, "I was so in love. They let me hold you and then I refused to give you up for hours. You were _my _gift after all. You had these big bug eyes, and hair – _Gods _you had hair even then. Dad said it was white because of the snow at the North Pole and up until the girls came along, I really thought that's where babies came from."

Toshiro let out a dry chuckle at that, but his heart was swimming in an array of strange emotions.

Ichigo was being so caring and tender with him, telling him such a heart-warming story, but everything was in such stark contrast to what their relationship was really like. It was a sudden backflip on everything Toshiro knew and he didn't know whether to relax and enjoy it, or keep himself closed off and safe; he didn't know if, or when, Ichigo would revert back to hating him.

"We were so close," Ichigo said then, and now his voice was strained. "Inseparable. I tried to put you in my backpack to take to school so many times. I tried to sleep in your cot with you at night and almost broke it. When you were big enough, Mum let you sleep in my bed sometimes. You followed me everywhere. When I would come back from school, you would be at the door waiting for me. You called me 'Ichi'."

There was silence then, one filled with emotional dissonance, like they were both reflecting on the past, comparing it with the present, and trying to pin point exactly where it all went wrong. They both knew where it all went wrong though.

"I am so fucking sorry, Toshiro," Ichigo breathed, his arm tightening around Toshiro's shoulders, and he sounded so unbelievably sad. "I pushed you away, I turned on you, treated you like shit."

"No, it's…" Toshiro shook his head to interject, "fine, it's fine. It was Mum and it was-"

"It's not an excuse," Ichigo cut him off. "I promised to look after you and I didn't, and now you think I hate you, that I wish you hadn't been adopted."

Momo's message, the one Karin at screenshotted and sent to their family group chat. Toshiro remembered that now too.

He stayed silent, unable to respond to that.

"I was so angry and jealous that you got to be smart and popular," Ichigo admitted, "and I was losing people every day, failing half my subjects, but that was my fault, not yours. I should have celebrated you, supported you, but I made you feel so awful about yourself, and then you hid yourself away."

Toshiro had done that for a lot of reasons.

"And you're so much like Mum," Ichigo continued, voice on the verge of cracking. "It hurts."

_Sorry, what?_

There was another long pause, but from where Toshiro was with his head awkwardly resting on his brother's shoulders, he could feel Ichigo's stress levels rising through his tense muscles and quickened breathing. Unable to speak and completely unsure of what terms his relationship with Ichigo was on now, Toshiro did the only thing he could think to do, and that was wrap an arm loosely around Ichigo's torso and lean into the hold. Even after everything, he never wanted his brother to feel bad about how their relationship had become so stale. He wanted them to grow closer again, but not like this, not in a way that was fuelled by guilt.

"I was half asleep when the message came in," Ichigo muttered slowly. "I saw your name come up on my phone and thought it was weird that you were messaging me at that time, and then I opened it. I realised Karin had sent it off your phone, and then I read the message Momo had sent you and it just – just broke my heart, because I knew it was what you actually thought, what you do think. You think I hate you, and it's shit because I know I have made you feel that way. Then there's your fucking tattoo, and I just-"

Toshiro closed his eyes and sunk lower into Ichigo's middle. He was still so hungover and this all way too much to process, especially when Ichigo started rubbing his back soothingly, just like Rangiku would if she were here. What his tattoo – and which tattoo specifically – had to do with this, he had no idea.

"I could never hate you," Ichigo stressed, voice low and wavering. "You're my brother."

"Dad always told us off for saying 'hate'," Toshiro managed eventually.

"Because he never wanted us to use it on each other like-"

Like Kaien had used it on him the night he died.

That's what their father had told them anyway – numerous times, all of them with glassy eyes seeing into the past as he spoke. Isshin's parents had both died way before he had even met Masaki. As the oldest Shiba sibling he was made guardian of his youngest, and only underage, sibling. Kaien had been a teenager, and greatly upset by the loss of his parents, had acted out. One night, he lost his temper with Isshin who was trying to discipline him, screamed that he hated Isshin, ran out of the house and jumped in the car, speeding off down the street. It was the last thing he ever did and Isshin had to live with the fact his youngest brother's last words to him had been 'I hate you'.

It was no wonder why all of Isshin's attention had gone to Ichigo when he began to act out after the loss of Masaki; he had been terrified of history repeating itself, like he would fail twice.

"What if I died," Ichigo murmured, seemingly more to himself as he too thought about the story, "and I left you thinking that I didn't love you. Or worse, what if you died, and I never got to tell you that I love you."

"Nobody is gonna die," Toshiro frowned deeply, shaking his head and instantly regretting the way his skull ached from the hangover; he didn't want to think about losing his any of his siblings but there was a good chance that the hangover was actually going to kill him.

"We do some of the most dangerous sports in the world for a living," Ichigo reminded him.

Toshiro would have rolled his eyes if he didn't think the dizziness might make him retch again.

"But I do love you, Toshiro," Ichigo patted his shoulder, "I need you to know that. You're my little brother, and I love you so much. I'm sorry I made you think I didn't."

The words from Ichigo's mouth made Toshiro's heart fill with love and his eyes fill a little with tears. He was being weak and pathetic, but hey, he was extremely hungover and staring death in the face right now, he could afford to be a little emotional.

Sighing, Toshiro pulled himself back up so he could look into Ichigo's big brown eyes, which were also surprisingly wet. The room spun a little but he ignored it.

"I love you too," he murmured.

"Wholeheartedly?" Ichigo asked, raising a playful eyebrow, the reference to Toshiro's tattoo as clear as day and the snowboarder wondered briefly if that was the one Ichigo had been referring to.

"Of course," Toshiro gave a half-smirk, sinking back down to Ichigo's hold before he could keel over and vomit, "I don't know any other way."

"I know you don't," Ichigo said softly, his hand in Toshiro's hair.

They sat like that for goodness knows how long, mostly in silence, sometimes reminiscing on the old childhood story from when things had still been good between them. At one point, Ichigo had been in the middle of telling Toshiro about the time when baby Toshiro had fist experienced snowboarding – strapped to his father's chest in a baby carrier, giggling madly the whole way down the slope – when suddenly adult Toshiro lurched again, throwing himself over Ichigo's legs to reach the toilet.

"Yeah even that was a bit too nauseatingly cute for me," Ichigo chuckled as Toshiro threw up.

Toshiro flipped him off, his chuckle dying between retches.

Eventually Isshin showed up, letting himself into the room with who knows what key card.

The father of four was grinning stupidly when he found his two sons cuddled together in the bathroom, trading baby stories.

Rangiku was there too, dressed in her competition uniform and looking relieved to see Toshiro and Ichigo together, or maybe she was just glad Toshiro had survived all the alcohol she had poured down his throat – with the help of Karin – and that she wouldn't have to explain his death to the world. The day was still young though, and Toshiro's hangover was far from over. Death could still be upon him yet, or at least that's how it felt.

"You look like shit," she commented dryly, smiling a little as she looked down at him.

"How rude," Toshiro quipped back, voice hoarse and still leaning heavily on Ichigo. "I feel so good right now, can't you tell?"

"Nothing a shower, some fried food and a good sleep can't cure," Isshin muttered, leaning down to sweep the doona from the boys' legs. "Come on, you can't sit here all day."

"Yeah, just give me five minutes to shower and change," Toshiro said, holding the groan as he managed to straighten back up, the world still annoyingly unstill, "then I'll be ready for Ran's finals."

He didn't even manage to stand the whole way up before he was tilting sideways and falling, only to be caught by Isshin before he could splat down on the tiles.

"No, it's straight back to bed for you," Isshin told him, voice firm. "You can watch it on the Tele."

"But-"

"No buts."

Despite Toshiro putting his best argument forward ('I'm fine, Dad, really'), his body betrayed him at every turn and Isshin's arguments became too logical to argue. No, Toshiro couldn't go up a mountain in his state to watch the finals, firstly due to needing to look after his health before his own slopestyle finals tomorrow, secondly due to all the media being present and the last thing they wanted to show the world was Toshiro in all his hungover glory, and thirdly, and this could not be stressed enough, Toshiro couldn't even stand on his own right now.

Relenting reluctantly, Toshiro was led back to bed, but not before he was helped by Rangiku into some clean trackies and a fresh tee. She promised him it was okay that he wasn't coming to watch her, since his current state was largely on her. He promised to watch her on the television, and she kissed his forehead.

"I told Renji I would meet him to go watch the ski cross finals," Ichigo announced. "We've got some friends competing. Are you gonna be fine here?"

Toshiro nodded into his pillow.

"You know, I can talk to him about Rukia if you want," Ichigo added quickly. "Maybe he could-"

"No," Toshiro answered harshly before correcting himself. "I mean, no thank you, I appreciate it but I can… I'll sort it out."

One mention of her name brought all those horrible feelings back and then suddenly it wasn't the hangover making him hurt all over, and it wasn't the alcohol making his nausea skyrocket.

Silence passed over the room for a beat before Ichigo patted Toshiro's doona-covered shoulder and left. As the oldest Shiba sibling's footsteps retreated, Toshiro heard softer and faster steps approach. Without rolling over, he knew it was Karin when he felt her slip into his bed behind him.

"I'm so hungover," she groaned, curling into his back and Toshiro reached back to find her hand, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

He remembered her anguish last night, and her storming out on him, so he was unbelievably glad to have her here with him now, even if he was scared he would throw upon her if he tried to roll over to face her.

"Rest, both of you," Isshin murmured, leaning down to tuck them in. "We'll be back this afternoon."

"Bye guys!" Rangiku waved them off, her voice far to shrill for their sensitive ears and even Karin was pressing her face further into Toshiro's back to escape it. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," they murmured, probably a little unenthusiastically, before the coach and his athlete left, leaving Toshiro and Karin in their hungover states.

The television had been put on for them on a low volume, but it was all the pre-competition shit that Isshin didn't like them watching. It was showing footage of the heats and breaking down each woman's performance as the hosts tried to comment on where each competitor would place. Rangiku, Tatsuki and Nanao were tipped to be the podium makers, but the hosts couldn't agree on who would take the coveted gold.

Toshiro didn't pay it much attention, focusing on the way Karin was clinging to his back, and how best to word his apology.

It must have been hard for her to find out he thought she had gone to Germany to get away from him, especially since she knew those were the kinds of thoughts he had about their other siblings but she had tried so hard to make him feel that it wasn't the case with her. It should have been left unsaid that she loved him to death, but it was because it was unsaid that he had begun to think those things, and thus her efforts had been useless. Toshiro couldn't see love when it was right in front him, constantly feeling like he was a burden on everyone around him, but he had never thought how hard that must have been on someone trying to show him that love.

"I'm sorry," he managed eventually, voice thick with guilt.

Karin shook her head against him and fisted his shirt to tell him it was okay. She was hurt, but it was okay. She forgave him.

"I'm not staying in Germany," she told him a minute later. "I'm coming home, and don't even bother trying to argue with me. It's happening."

Guilt ripped through him, faster than vomit ever could, and Toshiro did his best not to throw up on his hotel bed.

…

The rest of the day past in a big, exhausting blur.

He was asleep for some it, waking up to watch Rangiku's runs but missing most other competitors which he later regretted, when Rangiku's final run fell just short of gold. To everyone's surprise, it was none other than their dear friend Nanao Ise of Team Canada who took the top spot on the podium. Rangiku finished with silver, and looked delighted about it, while Tatsuki from Team USA took bronze and was pissed.

It was about the only good part of the day, watching Rangiku take a silver and knowing Nanao's hard work had finally paid off to steal herself the gold.

The rest of the day ranged from mediocre to just plain _shit_.

Rukia was on his mind all damn day, and the amount of times Toshiro had opened his messages up to text her but didn't end up sending anything was ridiculous. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. What was more pathetic than being rejected by woman too good for you? Being rejected twice by the same woman.

It hurt, it hurt so much and way more than the dumb and persistent hangover did.

Karin too was a source pain, though he was sure it was more unintentional. He had tried to convince her to reconsider, to not pick coming home to him over her career but she didn't budge. The more he argued, the less tolerant she became and eventually she snapped at him.

"I've made my choice!" she had yelled eventually, eyes scarily glassy, "You don't get a say this time, so shut up."

So Toshiro shut up.

The tension was thick between them, even though she spent the majority of the day cuddled around him.

After that, when they spoke about topics that weren't him, Rukia, Momo, Germany or Karin's future soccer career, the tension eased again and it was fine, or as close to _fine_ as it could be.

Toshiro took a shower finally, able to stand up though he hated every second of it, and when he got out of the shower, Yuzu was in his room having delivered lunch for him and Karin.

It was awkward again; Yuzu looked like she wanted to say something but every time she opened her mouth, she closed it just as quickly. As much as he hated the uncertainty in her eyes, he was glad for her silence. He didn't want to talk about what Momo had said in the message and he certainly didn't want to talk about Rukia, not while his head still throbbed and every muscle in his body ached.

Eventually Yuzu left, and Toshiro fell asleep again. When he woke up it was dark outside and Karin was gone too, but Rangiku was there, leaning into his personal space.

"Good evening, Bub!" she exclaimed loudly when his eyes fluttered open.

"Fucking Hell!" Toshiro flinched back from the two big blue eyes hovering over him, heart stopping for a moment. "What the hell, Ran! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Well I called out to you several times," Rangiku giggled, leaning further over him, her newly acquired silver medal around hanging around her neck and grazing Toshiro's chest, "but you didn't hear me."

Toshiro rolled his eyes before reaching his arms out for a hug, pulling Ran to lay with him for a moment.

"Congratulations on the silver," he murmured. "Your runs were awesome, Ran."

She giggled and hugged him back. "I'm so glad Nanao got the gold. She worked so hard for it."

Toshiro hummed, smirking then. "And I bet you're glad you beat Tatsuki."

"Oh so glad!" Rangiku cackled. "You should have seen her face, Bub, oh my gods it was hilarious."

Rangiku then proceeded to give him a play by play recount of her finals event, down to every bitchy word that was said, every facial expression and eyebrow kink. Toshiro listened as best he could despite the drowsiness and slight disorientation he was experiencing.

The headache had faded, the nausea receded enough that he could probably go some toast or something now, but the tiredness was still there even though he had slept most of the day. To be fair, that sleep had been terribly broken and his body was further exhausted from all the emotional crap of the past twenty four hours.

"Then I went to Gin's semi-finals," Rangiku told him and Toshiro tensed just a little, but enough that she noticed.

"I forgot that was today," Toshiro murmured. "How did he go?"

"You'll never guess what happened!" Rangiku exclaimed, thankfully ignore the tension in Toshiro's body as they skidded close to the dangerous topic of Rukia. "He just missed out on making the finals and we were just about to leave when it was announced that one of the guys in the finals had to pull out. Gin got moved up in his place!"

"Seriously?" Toshiro's eyes widen; that was the luckiest break he had ever heard.

"And he took the fucking bronze, Bub!" Rangiku bounced on him in excitement. "It was amazing, and he was so shocked, he couldn't believe it. It was so adorable!"

"That's so great!" the white haired snowboarder grinned up at her, distracted momentarily from the Rukia thoughts at the news their new friend had medalled today. "Good on him, I'll have to watch the replays tomorrow."

Rangiku was smiling stupidly down at him and that's when he noticed she was wearing both the shawl and brooch Gin had given her last night. It was the last good thing that had happened before the entire night went to shit.

"Was she there?" Toshiro found himself asking, eyes flicking back up to Rangiku's.

Of course Rukia had been there; it was her best friend's final.

Unless she too was hungover and moping in her room all day.

"Did you talk to her?" Toshiro asked before Rangiku could answer the first question, but regretted it as soon as the strawberry blonde started to open her mouth. He cut her off again, not wanting to hear it. "Actually don't answer that, I don't want to know."

Rangiku's mouth shut instantly but the grimace was there and a second later, she was leaning down to put her ear over Toshiro's heart.

"I think there has been a misunderstanding," Rangiku said slowly, cautiously. "A miscommunication, more specifically."

Toshiro didn't respond to that, lying still and aware of every beat his heart gave knowing Rangiku was listening to it.

"Message her," Rangiku pleaded. "Please, Toshiro."

"I don't want to-"

"I know."

"It hurts, Ran."

"I know."

"Like all the fucking time."

"I know, Bub," Rangiku sighed, "but you'll regret if you don't. You need to know for sure where you stand."

"What if she doesn't want me though?" Toshiro asked, feeling small.

"Then at least you'll know for sure," Rangiku told him as she removed herself from his chest and sat back up right, "and that's going to hurt less than finding out later that you could have been together but now it's too late."

Exhaling, Toshiro digested the words. In all fairness, he had put Rukia on the spot in front of her psycho brother and a bunch of near strangers, and he knew she wasn't comfortable with feelings. In his defence, he hadn't asked much from her – a simple 'it's not true, I'll talk to you later, let me sort things out with my brother first' would have sufficed, would have left his heart feeling less shredded to bits like it did now.

It was all too much; both sides of the argument were playing ping pong in his already overwhelmed mind and neither side was winning.

"What would I even say to her?" he asked, brow dipping to a frown.

"I don't know, Bub," Rangiku reached out a hand to cup his face. "Why don't you sleep on it and text her in the morning."

Toshiro sighed and nodded; that seemed like a fair and reasonable response. Hopefully in the morning, when he wasn't coming off the back of a death-inducing hangover and confusing sleep pattern, his thoughts would be more collected.

Worst case scenario, he had more time to think of an excuse to tell Rangiku if he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I'm going out for drinks with the girls in my event today," Rangiku stood up and smirked down at Toshiro. "You're welcome to come."

"No, thank you," Toshiro groaned, sinking further into his pillow. "I'm never drinking again."

"Yeah, I've never heard you say that before," Rangiku rolled her eyes as she walked around the bed.

She waved him off before slinking out the door and Toshiro rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. He had a lot on his mind now, and he couldn't help but wonder what Rukia was doing at that moment.

Probably celebrating Gin's bronze medal with the Irish crew.

The thought made him smile and soon sleep took him again.

The next time he woke up, it felt like no time at all had passed, except now Ichigo and Isshin were back, and they were talking about him. Toshiro was sure that his father was here to discuss the Momo thing and to be quite honest, he was not at all ready for that discussion.

"Nah, he's been asleep since I got back," Ichigo said quietly. "Karin said he's been in and out of sleep all day."

A weight shifted on the bed as Isshin – presumably – sat down beside Toshiro's now fake-sleeping form. His father told him last night that pretending to sleep wouldn't get him out of it but he was willing to give it his best shot.

"I wish he would just talk to me about this stuff," Isshin murmured. "This Momo thing has been going on for what – seven, maybe eight months… and he's just not said anything."

"It's Toshiro, Dad," Ichigo muttered, like that should have been explanation enough.

Toshiro frowned internally; he didn't love that assessment of the situation but he could hardly dispute it when it was fact. He was closed off, he didn't tell his family about things that were happening, good or bad, and the Momo thing was just one example in a lifetime of secrets he kept from them. It was so easy for them all to be like 'oh he's so closed off, we don't know why, that's just him', but in reality, he had closed up_ for _them. For his siblings who needed the attention, for his father that needed one less burden, for his aunt and uncle who didn't ask to be parents yet had to give up their lives to help raise four kids that weren't even theirs.

Isshin gave a sad but resigned sigh before there was some shuffling about it. Across from him, Toshiro heard Ichigo's mattress creak as the skier sat on his bed, matching their father sitting opposite him on Toshiro's bed.

"_Isshin will never love you like he loves his real kids,"_ Isshin's voice murmured sadly and Toshiro's heart twisted when he realised his father was reading that forsaken message, _"no matter how much you suck up to him with snowboarding."_

Ichigo was silent as they seemed to let the words soak in.

"Does he think that?" Isshin asked then, sounding broken in a way Toshiro was never hoping to hear. "That I love him less because he's adopted?"

Ichigo hesitated. "I-I don't know, Dad."

"You're adopted too," Isshin pointed out, desperate for an answer. "Do you think I love you less too?"

Ichigo snorted at that, a chuckle the first mild relief in this conversation.

"No, Old Man, I don't think that," Ichigo's voice was lighter. "I put you through Hell and you still never gave up on me. If that's not pure love, I don't know what is."

Isshin breathed deeply.

"I honestly don't know about Toshiro though, Dad," Ichigo continued after a moment. "He's been closed off for a long time, but…"

"But?"

"But you've gotta understand it's different for us," Ichigo drawled slowly, swallowing. "We're well aware you have kids that are yours biologically, and they look like you and Mum and it's hard. I know you love us the same, but it's… it's something that has crossed my mind many times, and I'm sure it's crosses Toshiro's as well, and it's just like… well, what if you had to choose?"

Ichigo was plunging deep into the depths of Toshiro's heart to find that particular nightmare scenario. It was actually confronting to realise Ichigo had those thoughts too.

"I don't have to choose," Isshin rebutted quickly and firmly, "and I have never once considered what I'd do if I had to."

"But we have, Dad," Ichigo murmured.

More silence, and Toshiro was struggling to keep his face impassive and relaxed like he was actually sleeping, because inside his emotions were running wild and making him want to ugly cry.

"I love the four of you equally," Isshin said at last. "I have had you boys from the time you were newborns, just as with the girls. You don't have my face or my blood, but you have plenty of my personality and more importantly, you have my heart. You're my kids."

Silence again, but Toshiro heard Ichigo shift and was sure that he had leaned off the bed long enough to give their father the hug Toshiro was so desperate too. He wanted to announce his wakeful state, and tell his father how much he loved him, but he was far too worked up. He felt like he was going to get emotional and cry at any moment and that wasn't how he wanted to go into this conversation.

He wasn't ready.

"Look, I don't know much about Toshiro anymore," Ichigo stated as he seemed to sit back on his bed, "which I'm hoping will change with this, but there is one thing that I do know about him and I don't doubt it for a second. He loves the shit out of you."

"Language."

"I'm serious though, Dad," Ichigo laughed, and Toshiro was glad his brother was telling their father this. "He idolises you. He loves you more than anyone in this world."

"Do you think that's why he snowboards?" Isshin asked.

"Yeah, and also why he skateboards," Ichigo's voice was smiling, if voices could do that. "And the tattoos too, and dare I say it, falling for international athletes at the Olympics."

That last one was a coincidence, Toshiro wanted to interject. The rest were… somewhat – entirely – true.

"He's built himself into your mini me," Ichigo teased.

"That concerns me though," Isshin sighed. "I have no idea if he's doing all this just to be like me or 'suck up' to me as Momo suggests, or if he genuinely loves to board."

"Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?" Ichigo asked.

"They don't but…" Isshin sighed again. "I just want him to be doing something he loves, regardless of what it is."

Toshiro _w_as doing what he loved. Sure, a lot of that had to do with the fact he was able to be coached by his father, but the fact remained that he did love snowboarding and skateboarding. He loved music too but never more than a hobby, and of course science he loved too, but he wouldn't give up snowboarding for either them. Maybe one day, when he's too old to compete, he can revisit them, but snowboarding and being coached by Isshin was a now or never situation.

Ichigo didn't answer, at least not verbally, and after a long period where nobody said anything, Isshin eventually spoke again and Toshiro's heart twisted painfully when they realised they weren't done dissecting Momo's message yet.

"_Your real parents didn't love you so they threw you away like garbage,"_ Isshin read out loud before clicking his tongue with annoyance. "She really needs to stop using the word 'real' when she means 'biological' because that's just incorrect."

"Yeah," Ichigo chortled. "So is ninety percent of her spelling and grammar."

That comment was ignored as Isshin continued.

"I'm confused about this statement," he admitted. "Toshiro has never expressed an interest in his birth parents, but the rest of this message has been targeted to things that he obviously thinks about and has confided in her about, things that she clearly knew would hurt him."

"So?"

"So either she's just thrown this sentence in randomly, _hoping _it will hurt him," Isshin sounded thoughtful, "or it's been targeted_ knowing_ it will hurt him, suggesting maybe he had shown more of an interest in them that I thought."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that, Dad," Ichigo answered a little too quickly. "It's a stock standard taunt towards someone who's adopted. She's probably just thrown it in randomly."

"My instincts are telling me there's more to it," Isshin said grimly.

Ichigo was deathly silent now and Toshiro knew exactly what his brother was thinking about. Without 'waking up', all he could do was scream internally, praying somehow Ichigo got his telepathic communication to _not say a word._

_And for goodness sake, don't show it on your face-_

"What do you know, Ichigo?" Isshin asked the strawberry, his voice stern suddenly.

_Far out,_ Ichigo was a liability – couldn't hide a secret for shit.

In his defence, Isshin had four children and had grown up with three siblings. He got spot when someone was hiding something from a mile away. Except Toshiro, since he was the master of keeping his face impassive.

Toshiro grimaced internally and felt his heart sink, knowing exactly what was about to come out.

"Well, I think there might have been one time when Toshiro was, um, a little interested," Ichigo told Isshin, voice a little higher in pitch then normal. "I don't believe that interest lasted more than a day, so I don't think you have to worry-"

"What kind of interest?" Isshin asked.

"The _'got a nerd to hack into whatever database to find his birth mother' _typeof interest," Ichigo said quickly.

_Gods he was weak_ – Ichigo would not hold up well under torture, that's for sure. Thank goodness he didn't want to be spy when he grew up. Toshiro wouldn't have caved in this early, or at all. He'd have taken it to the grave.

Isshin sighed deeply and Toshiro felt the man's hand land on his calf, gently as to not wake him despite the fact Toshiro was definitely awake now and doing his best to pretend he wasn't. That was hard when his life was crumbling around him.

"He found her?" Isshin asked, his voice losing the commanding tone he had not seconds earlier to pull information out of Ichigo.

"I believe so," Ichigo answered, and Toshiro could tell he was trying to be delicate about it. "In Canberra, I think… Anyway, he went, he saw, he didn't _quite_ conquer."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think he spoke to her," Ichigo said seriously. "He freaked out and came home. He was pretty shaken. I only know about it because he burst into tears the second he walked through the door and then just started telling me everything."

"Where was I?" Isshin asked, sounding a little distressed now.

"I don't know, it was like eight years ago," Ichigo shrugged. "Out with girls, maybe?"

Actually, Isshin had been out of town overnight to go to an old friend's funeral down the coast, that's why Toshiro had chosen that day to do it. Karin and Yuzu had been away at school camp, Kukaku and Ganju had just been at work. Ichigo was the only one at home, but he didn't give two shits about fifteen year old Toshiro, so what would he care what state Toshiro had ended up coming home in. In reality had been far different.

What had really happened was that, upon Toshiro's request, Yukio had hacked into the database of the hospital where Toshiro was born and had managed to find his original birth certificate. No father's name had been listed but there was a name for his birth mother. Some more hacking and investigating and Yukio was able to find both home and work addresses. In a spur of the moment decision, they got Rangiku to drive them out to Canberra, so Toshiro could meet her.

He hadn't wanted to involve his father in his last minute decision after years of denying he wanted to know anything about his birth family. In all honestly, Toshiro wasn't even sure where the desire was coming from all of a sudden but he rolled with the punches, and he'd hated what he saw when found her.

It wasn't actually anything terrible. She was working at restaurant. She was young, but seemed happy and healthy enough. Toshiro had seen her from across the street and knew the second he laid his eyes on her that she was his birth mother. She had long, white hair that was thick like his but curly. She had big turquoise eyes, exactly like his. She was small in frame, just as he was. He was the spitting image of her, only male. And it was in that exact moment, when Toshiro was looking at woman who looked eerily like him that he realised _she's not my mother._

Masaki was his mother, and not a single soul could replace her.

Panic set in.

He had hurried back to Rangiku's car before he could be seen. His friends were confused at his quick return, but didn't ask questions when he demanded they take him home. They didn't ask when he said nothing on the car ride home.

Toshiro had entered the seemingly empty Shiba house and raced to his room, feeling the waterworks come on now that he was returning to his home – _her home _– but wasn't watching where he was going. He had barrelled right into Ichigo as the older teen was leaving their bedroom. Of course, Toshiro was immediately yelled at and it all became too much. He burst out in tears.

Startled, Ichigo pulled him inside their room and Toshiro couldn't stop spilling the tea, telling his brother everything that had happened, whether the strawberry had wanted to hear it or not. Maybe it was the tears, or perhaps Ichigo had been in a caring mood, or maybe even the story hit him close to home, but whatever the case, Ichigo – for the first time in years – hugged Toshiro tightly. He let his young brother cry on him and when he was done, they took a silent drive to the cemetery, refreshed Masaki's flowers, and returned home to never speak of it again.

To Ichigo's credit, Toshiro was impressed he had kept this secret for as long as he had.

"I should have been there," Isshin murmured sadly, "I should have known he was curious."

"Well I don't think he has been curious since," Ichigo offered, "not to my knowledge anyway."

Toshiro hadn't been curious since, and couldn't foresee a time where he might be in the future.

He didn't want to know any more than did, he was categorically sure of that.

For a long time Isshin was quiet as he very gently stroked Toshiro's calf. Toshiro wanted to roll over and open his eyes, to see his father's expression and hopefully find it to be not as sad as he was expecting, but to do that meant revealing his wakeful state.

Eventually Isshin stood with a long sigh.

"Alright I'm going to bed," he murmured. "Toshiro has his finals tomorrow afternoon, so I'll let him sleep now."

"Do you think he'll be fine to compete tomorrow?" Ichigo asked.

"I have to believe that he is," Isshin answered. "I don't have the heart to take a second Olympics away from him."

Toshiro felt himself stop breathing; no, he couldn't miss out on competing again, just because of some shitty text and a sort of break up. It might have looked like he was self-destructing like four years ago when he had broken a rib, but he wasn't. It was just bad timing. He was fine to compete, his dad had to know that. Tomorrow, Toshiro was going to have to pull it together big time to prove himself. Everything could be dealt with later. The slopestyle finals were more important than some low key life drama. Besides, Ichigo and Rangiku both had medals now, and Toshiro wanted to be on their level. He could hardly face going home empty handed.

Isshin and Ichigo said good night to each other before Isshin left. Toshiro didn't move while Ichigo was getting ready for bed. It wasn't until he heard Ichigo's soft snores that the snowboarder allowed himself to roll onto his back, a shuddering breath leaving his body.

The slopestyle finals – tomorrow.

Texting Rukia – tomorrow.

Facing his father – tomorrow.

Suddenly Toshiro was wide awake, his brain alert with nerves and anxiety.

_Tomorrow._

…

Tomorrow came too soon.

Toshiro did not feel better in the morning. His sleep, like the night before, had been restless. The hangover symptoms had only morphed into anxiety symptoms. Toshiro no longer had a headache, but the nausea had increased tenfold.

His finals weren't until the afternoon but the young snowboarder got up early, simply unable to lie in bed feeling sick anymore.

Ichigo was still snoring softly, so Toshiro pulled on some workout wear, grabbed his earphones and crept out the door, intending to head out for an early morning run. Hopefully that would clear his mind, or if nothing else, at least help him build an appetite since all he'd had to eat since those few Shapes at the barbeque was half a wrap Yuzu had brought him yesterday.

Thinking of the Shapes, and the banter that followed, Toshiro's mind quickly wandered to Rukia.

Right up until the moments before Byakuya had entered the suite, Toshiro had been so sure things were going well with the Irish skater. In particular, the way she was with him the morning of her finals and then again when they reunited after her medal ceremony had left him thinking that they really had a chance together. She was giving him all the right signals, as far as he was aware, and nothing to suggest otherwise.

Until Byakuya had come in and confronted them.

Toshiro stepped out of the lift and into the hotel lobby, the whole scene replaying in his mind. It still stung, the memory of her unable to tell him that he was anything more than an Olympic fling. Still, Toshiro's heart was doing that terrible thing where it fluttered with hope, that maybe – just maybe – it had been a miscommunication, just as Rangiku believed.

He had put Rukia on the spot. Byakuya had put her on the spot.

Toshiro himself wasn't the most honest when it came to feelings.

Maybe Rukia had been too paralysed to speak, but maybe she had wanted to.

Toshiro stopped still in the lobby, ignoring the receptionist who glanced up at him.

If that were the case, why hadn't she messaged him in the last thirty six hours to be like 'hey, let's talk this through'.

Another wave of nausea washed over Toshiro has he realised that maybe she was angry at him for putting her on the spot. It was a dick move, he could see that. In all fairness, Byakuya had pushed both of them, and Toshiro's reaction, in his mind, was justifiable.

He just wanted to know he was worth something to her, and he was sick of having Momo and then Byakuya in his head telling him otherwise. He wanted to hear it from Rukia.

Still, he had taken the wrong approach, and Toshiro could see that now with a clearer mind.

Lifting his phone up, Toshiro unlocked it, his thumb hovering over the WhatsApp icon, Rangiku's words from last night echoing in his head. 'At least you'll know for sure' – a justification for if this went south.

Sighing, Toshiro geared himself up to message Rukia. He opened the app, ignored the Team Shiba family group chat that's last message was from two nights ago, Karin slamming Momo from Toshiro's own phone. Toshiro opened his conversation with Rukia, the flirty texts from before the barbeque still there.

_You can do it. Just text her. Like Nike – Just Do It._

_Nope, can't do it._

Toshiro exited the app quickly, exhaling sharply. _Oh far out, why was this so difficult?_

Walking blindly out of the lobby and into the freezing morning air, Toshiro kept his phone up, hoping to eventually convince himself to message her. In a stroke of genius, the snowboarder opened Instagram instead, again ignoring the unread message from Momo, obviously in retaliation to whatever Karin had said to her. Instead, he planned to go to Rukia's profile, look at some of his favourite pictures of her and surely that would provide him with the boost he needed to message her. He knew if he looked into her face one more time, he would surely not be able to give up on her. One look at those gorgeous violet eyes and he would crumble, unable to picture a world where he didn't try his absolute best to win her over.

But he never made it to her profile, and this time it wasn't because he chickened out.

At the top of his feed was a picture Rukia had posted overnight, and it was her looking directly into the camera, a smug smirk on her lips, while a man – who definitely wasn't Toshiro – was nuzzled comfortably into her neck. The insinuation was as clear as day. The caption – 'That's tonight sorted' – wasn't needed to make her point, but it burned Toshiro none the less.

Twenty four hours.

That's how quickly Rukia had replaced him, jumping straight in bed with the first guy she saw.

One day, and she was already fucking someone else. Toshiro was forgotten in a snap of her fingers.

So much for being worth something to her.

So much for being special and different.

Toshiro was nothing but a number, a name crossed of her list.

He was, as Momo put it so eloquently, 'just a good fuck for her'. Nothing more.

Fury, devastation and overwhelming disappointment crushed Toshiro in an instant.

He couldn't believe it, even though the thought had been following him around for close to a fortnight now.

It hurt him to his very core, and Toshiro had to close the app before he could do something stupid, like comment on the damned thing.

Unable to breathe, Toshiro turned sharply back into the lobby and made his way back in, his morning run forgotten. He skipped the elevator, not having the patience to wait for it, and instead marched up the seven flights of stairs two at a time back to his floor. He walked right past his door until he reached Rangiku's. He knocked, loudly and continuously, until a dishevelled Yoruichi answered the door.

"Toshiro, Honey," she squinted at him from inside the dark room. "What's wrong?"

"I need see Rangiku," Toshiro answered, voice angrier than he wished it was talking to his god mother.

"She's asleep," Yoruichi frowned.

"Well, she can get up," Toshiro muttered, slipping past the tanned former skier and moving around the dark room until he found Rangiku's bed. He nudged her. "Rangiku. Get up. Now."

He was being an ass, he knew, but to be fair, the amount of times she had woken him up in the night, or worse when her different suitors woke him up in the middle of the night, she couldn't complain about this. How many nights ago had Toshiro been woken up to find Gin throwing stones at their window?

The strawberry blonde rolled over and groggily muttered for him to 'piss off', but Toshiro was persistent and within five minutes, Rangiku was stumbling out into the hall with him so Yoruichi could go back to sleep and while Toshiro snapped.

"What's going on, Bub?" she ask, voice hoarse as she rubbed her eyes.

Toshiro answered by shoving his phone in her face, open to the picture Rukia had posted.

"_She likes you_, you said," Toshiro hissed. "_There's just been a miscommunication_, you said."

Rangiku took the phone with a frown and blinked blearily down at the image. It was clear on her face the moment she registered what she was looking at. A gasp fell from her lips before she managed to cover her mouth with her hand, her eyes going wide.

"Tosh-"

"I meant nothing to her," Toshiro cut Rangiku off, feeling the need to just rant out his emotions. "I was literally nothing but a friend with benefits. A fuck buddy. Whatever the kids call it these days. Everyone – _everyone_ – said I was different to her, I thought I was different to her… but I wasn't. I got my dumbass hopes up, put my stupid heart on the line but it was for nothing. It's been a day, Ran, one _fucking_ day. I was busy moping like wuss, but Rukia, no Rukia was out there having a good fucking time, with no fucking worries."

Rangiku let him rant, and the rant did go on. For several minutes in fact, while Toshiro tore his hair out, his voice going from seething rage, to broken and confused. It was hard to think clearly when everything hurt.

He wasn't really angry at Rangiku but she let him blame her anyway. He blamed everyone, from Isshin down to Yuzu, from Gin down to Rukia, but the person he blamed the most was himself. He made that extremely clear, and eventually Rangiku cut off his rant with a tight hug that had Toshiro faltering.

"Why am I so fucking stupid?" he croaked into Rangiku's shoulder.

"You're not."

"I am," he pushed. "I get attached too easily. I knew it was dumb to get attached to her but I did it anyway."

"It's not your fault," Rangiku murmured, rubbing his back.

Toshiro shook his head.

"I thought I meant something to her, you know," he mumbled, his anger receding to be replaced with a pathetic hopelessness. "She wore my shirt and kept it, like Momo used to do. She talked to me about all this personal stuff, about how she's lonely and wants something more than medals to keep her warm at night. We had slow sex, Ran, the good kind."

Why he was telling her all this, he didn't know.

"She gave me her phone number," he continued. "She told me about her brother and her sister, her tattoo and all the guilt she carries around. She j-just… she acted like a girlfriend would, or someone who wanted to be a girlfriend, someone who actually liked me for more than my condom size."

Rangiku squeezed him, and for once the mention of his condom size went by without a teasing jibe or a knowing smirk.

"I just don't understand," Toshiro exhaled shakily. "I thought she liked me."

For once, Rangiku didn't argue with him. She didn't tell him that Rukia did like him and this was again all some kind of miscommunication. She stayed silent and somehow that was worse.

…

Standing at the top of the slopestyle course had Toshiro on the verge of throwing up. Again.

It was finally here – his first Olympic finals event. But Toshiro wasn't there, not mentally. His mind was just about anywhere else.

Rukia. Momo. His father. His brother. His sisters. Rangiku. Gin. The fucking man from Rukia's photo.

He was about to start his second run, and his first had been a disaster. Well, not a disaster, but he was sitting ninth out of twelve, the three below him only below him because they had fallen early in their first runs. Toshiro had escaped falling, only just, but it was correcting from his almost falls – multiple – that had him losing momentum, making the second half of his run worthless as he cut back every trick.

Isshin was trying to get him to focus, pull his head in and all that. The concern that was on his father's face was painful to look at, but thankfully Toshiro was barely paying attention to it.

Ichigo had come to watch for the first time without being prompted by Isshin. Day two and he was seemingly committed to this whole 'being a better brother' thing he had going. Toshiro wasn't complaining, though he did feel a lot more pressure now that Ichigo – his silver medallist big brother – was there to cheer him on. The strawberry was sitting out in the stands somewhere, alongside Rangiku and Karin; Yuzu had wanted to come too but she and Jinta were rehearsing for the upcoming Gala Skate that followed the figure skating competitions.

He hadn't dared look into the crowd after his first run, too scared to find their faces staring back at him with the same concerned and disappointed expression Isshin was wearing.

"Okay, Toshiro, you're up next," Isshin called him over, and Toshiro allowed himself to be led to the starting point.

He stepped onto his board, strapping in his feet while the previous rider – a Norwegian guy whose name sounded like 'Stale Sandwich' to uncultured ears – completed his run to the cheers of the crowd. Isshin was talking to him about his run, undoubtedly telling him to stick to his planned tricks and concentrate, but Toshiro couldn't hear him over the thumping of his own heart and the crowd who was going mad for Stale Sandwich's great comeback run that boosted him from tenth place to fourth.

The crowd and cameras turned on him, and Toshiro almost forgot to do up his helmet, but in a nick of time got it clipped up, his gloves tightened and boot straps checked.

_Focus, Toshiro. It's the Olympics, come on_.

With a deep breath, Toshiro took off at the green light and shot down the slope.

The first rail was no problem, and he came off it with a tight 360 that earned him a nice cheer. The second rail was easy too; Toshiro went on with a cool 270 twist and came off with a stylish 90 degree swivel.

The cheers encouraged him and for a moment, Toshiro's head was back in the game. He saw the course ahead and remembered all the practice he had put into perfecting his run. He just had to let his body take him through it. Muscle memory would take him far, but he had to concentrate on nothing else, certainly not ex-girlfriends and ex-whatever Rukia was.

His first two major jumps went really well; he got his rotations in as planned and landed almost effortlessly. Another rail came along and Toshiro slid over it with his trademark skateboard style, sure to earn him the flavour points. The final jump – the biggest – was where Toshiro's run fell short.

He got the rotations in fine, but his landing had been too hard. It was too forceful and Toshiro was immediately thrown off balance. He fell back, his ass hitting the ice and he skidded down the slope that way until he was able to push himself back onto his feet.

It wasn't awful, and Toshiro didn't even feel the pain, but it was enough to mark him down at the last moment.

Trying to keep his frustration at bay, Toshiro stepped off his board and made his way over to the scoring area. Replay after replay of his fuck up showed on the large screens, like the rest of his run had been forgotten, despite its' flawless start. The white haired snowboarder watched it over and over, seeing exactly where he went wrong and planning how he would fix that on his last attempt.

It got inside his head big time though.

Thankfully, the rest of the run was remembered and Toshiro's score improved from a shitty 69.11 up to a more reasonable but still not perfect 78.63. He was bumped up to fifth, but with eight more riders to have their second of three runs.

Toshiro gave a thumbs up and the biggest smile he could muster in that moment to the camera in his face before he turned and marched back up the slope. Isshin met him at the top, and clapped his back.

"So close, Kid," he murmured, "you'll get it on this next run, I know it."

Toshiro wasn't so sure, unable to stop replaying the footage in his mind.

By the end of the second runs, Toshiro remained in fifth. Grimmjow was still in the lead from his first run and was sitting on an even 86, Yumichika was a close second with an 85.34. A Canadian newbie was sitting in third on a score in the low eighties, while Stale Sandwich was still in fourth with a score not much higher than Toshiro's. Below Toshiro, there were still seven riders, all North American or European and all edging to make the top three.

Before the third runs could begin, snow started to set in over the course. It wasn't so heavy that they deemed it too dangerous to compete but it meant that skiers had to glide down and clear the fresh snow as much as possible, and it also meant each and every rider had to be on top of their game for the final run.

Fresh snow basically meant a fresh course. It changed the lines they had been taking, and meant more friction where they were trying to build up speed for their bigger jumps. It also met less visibility.

It meant Toshiro's nerves were increasing again, his mind whirling over his run again and again, trying to get it in his head where the extra snow would be.

Now he was mentally in it, but potentially too much. He couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop seeing the run from start to finish, seeing his last fall, seeing himself falling again in the next one. Self-doubt quickly settled in and Toshiro knew in his heart he wasn't walking away from this with a medal. He wasn't that good of a snowboarder, not on the slopestyle especially and today he was particularly off.

He wasn't an Olympic medallist; he was just a naïve kid with an impossible dream.

He wasn't even deserving of it. He wasn't a good athlete, he wasn't a good son, he wasn't even a good brother. He definitely wasn't good enough to have a girlfriend, so why would be good enough to take an Olympic medal?

It was almost hopeless going into the third run with that mentality, but the way Isshin was looking at him, with concern mixed with hope, pushed Toshiro to not give up just yet. If he was going to walk away with nothing else, he just wanted his father and coach to be proud that he'd tried his best. That's all he ever asked of Toshiro and that's what Toshiro had done.

It had worked better at school than in the world of snowboarding.

The third and final runs got underway and Toshiro felt sicker than he had ever felt in his life.

He followed Isshin back into the waiting area, clutching his side and wondering if Isshin would worry if Toshiro just sat down for a moment. His father probably would worry, and maybe even push for Toshiro to pull out of the finals, so he didn't sit. He did double over though, pretending to stretch his hamstrings and hopefully cover the fact he felt seconds away from passing out.

Yumichika popped up beside him, gushing about something or rather, but Toshiro was tuned out. He couldn't stop thinking about that last jump and how he had fallen despite getting all the rotations in. He had landed it a million times in training, but he had fallen many times too, and suddenly it was all he could remember. The times he had actually made it were forgotten and Toshiro felt like he was ten years old again, staring down the advanced course at Thredbo and thinking that he'll never be good enough to go down it.

"Toshiro!" Yumichika called him back and Toshiro flinched when the New Zealander put his delicate hand on Toshiro's shoulder.

"What?" Toshiro asked, pretending that Yumichika hadn't just pulled his hand back suddenly, looking taken aback.

"Are you okay?" the dark haired man asked, face uncharacteristically serious. "You look sick."

"Just nervous," Toshiro managed, turning away from his fellow competitor and turning to the leader board.

Five of the seven riders before him had gone but most of the scores were low as they had fallen mid run, either from the nerves and pressure or from the fresh snow. Regardless, Toshiro's rank hadn't been affected yet.

It was getting harder to breathe as his turn rolled around and suddenly Isshin was back in front of him to collect him for his run.

"Are you okay?" Isshin asked and Toshiro nodded stiffly.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?" Isshin pressed, holding Toshiro's helmet close to him like he was unsure if he should hand it over or not. "Because you don't have to go-"

"I'm fine, Dad," Toshiro muttered, prying his helmet from the man's large and reluctant fingers.

Rider number seven had just taken off and Toshiro manoeuvred himself into the starting point, clipping on all his bits and pieces. Isshin was right there in an instant and Toshiro prepared himself for his father's normal pre-run speech, about how he should focus on his board, Hyorinmaru, and ignore the crowd. Instead he got something else.

"I love you, Toshiro," Isshin told him, big hand squeezing Toshiro's shoulder. "You know that, right?"

Toshiro turned his head slightly, very glad for the tinted eye mask in that moment. He nodded once with uncomfortable rigidness, sensing some connection to Momo's message. They had avoided talking about it all day, Isshin obviously leaving it for a post-competition chat which Toshiro was innately grateful for.

"And whatever happens out there…" Isshin continued, tone still terrifyingly troubled, "I'll always be proud of you. Medal or not."

Toshiro blinked behind his mask before he turned back to the slopestyle, feeling his heart sink. Even his father knew he wasn't going to pull this off. His coach knew he wasn't good enough.

He would never been good enough.

Rider seven was at the bottom receiving his scores, and it was another blow that he had done well enough to push himself into third place, pushing everyone below him – including Toshiro – down. Australia's only rider was in sixth position now, and Toshiro grimaced, knowing it was now a best case scenario for his country. He felt guilty; he had let them down. He had let down a lot of people in the last forty eight hours.

Toshiro felt that thought crushing his heart but he was being given the green light to take off, so he did.

Rail one, rail two; Toshiro made it over them. He couldn't remember doing it, even immediately after landing. He couldn't remember how he done it and whether or not he had done it well.

Jump one he didn't even know if he had done his planned trick or not, that's how far out of the game his mind was now. He vaguely remembered noticing the fresh snow, feeling his board travelling differently, and forcing him to change his line going over the second jump.

Again, he had no idea what he had done flying over the ledge of the second jump, but he landed it, albeit roughly. The roughness actually woke him up a little, the fear of falling off balance zapping him back to reality. He suddenly became too aware of what he was doing, and overthought things going over the third rail. Again his landing had been odd, and Toshiro's knees felt weaker.

The fresh snow was really obvious shooting up the third and final jump. He felt his speed drop and he was suddenly faced with a make or break decision; pull back the rotations for a better chance of landing smoothly, or keep the extra rotation in and risk a rocky landing, potentially even falling.

This was the jump to score him the most about of points. He had planned to do a 1440 which, landed perfectly, would shoot him up the scoreboard exponentially, probably to the top three. If he pulled back the rotations to a 1260 and landed it, it would still be worth a decent amount of points but not enough from down in sixth position. The only chance he had of pumping himself into a reasonable position on the scoreboard was to do the 1440, but if he fucked the landing, it was all for nought.

He saw flashes of everyone's faces – everyone he cared about and how he couldn't let them down.

That was Toshiro's last thought before he shot over the edge and into the air. He had to keep the rotations, he had to try his best.

And that was the last thought he had before it all went to hell.

He was ninety five percent successful in getting the rotations in, despite lacking both speed and height going into that jump. However, it was the final five percent he hadn't gotten in that had the disastrous domino effect.

He hadn't quite straightened up, hadn't even considered landing, when suddenly the hard packed snow was under his board.

Toshiro clipped his board at the worst place possible and was thrown backwards – quite literally pegged at the rock hard snow with the force of the Hulk throwing a temper tantrum. Toshiro heard a loud crack, which he noted vaguely to have been his helmet as he landed head first and then nothing.

Nothing at all, not even blackness.

"-iro, can you hear me? Toshiro, squeeze my hand if you can hear-"

Toshiro jerked back into reality, feeling hands on his body and flinching away from them.

His eyes shot open but his vision was blurry. His ears rung and muffled voices with obscure accents spoke to him. Around him, multiple unfamiliar faces were staring at him, all of them right in his personal space.

The back of his skull was pounding. He felt like he was going to be sick. His eyes stung. His back was numb.

Toshiro reached up to pull his eye mask off, batting away the hands that were trying to help him. He sat up, confused as he realised he was sitting in the snow half way down quite a steep slope.

There were a million voices screaming and Toshiro was sure he wasn't exaggerating that. It was chaotic, people running were around him, some crouching over him, their hands on his body like that was a perfectly normal thing to do to someone.

Confusion muddled Toshiro's thoughts and everything hurt. He couldn't breathe and he felt like he was being choked, like there was a hand around his neck. Clawing at it desperately, Toshiro felt the clip of his helmet and pulled it open, shaking off the multiple hands trying to stop him. He felt so dizzy, his head hurt, his lungs were starved – the helmet needed to come off. That would fix things.

The people trying to stop him moved back for a second and Toshiro took advantage of the distraction to get the helmet off, letting the thing fall to the snow. Just then, strong arms wrapped around him and his father's blurry face popped into his field of vision.

"Toshiro!"

"Dad," Toshiro croaked as he was brought closer, his cheek coming to rest on the man's chest.

Toshiro became aware that his body was shaking; he was in shock, he had no idea what was happening, just that everything hurt and everyone around him was panicking, which then spread onto a confused Toshiro.

"You're okay," Isshin told him, voice breathless and thick. "You've had a fall. Hit your head."

Toshiro saw flashes then, of the snow, the sky and then the nothingness that enveloped him. He shook his head and clenched his eyes, trying to breathe.

Opening his eyes again, Toshiro stared at the snow, seeing his badly cracked helmet lying alone a few feet away, while people in medical bibs rushed around him, and he tried not to flinch when they touched him unexpectedly. It was hard not to panic while everyone else clearly was. Isshin's voice was muffled as he talked to people above them. Toshiro stayed still; _was this still the Olympics?_

Feeling his father holding him was the only thing grounding Toshiro enough not to flip his shit and absolutely freak out, and eventually Isshin was helping him to stand.

Toshiro's eyes fluttered closed again when he heard Karin's voice_. Had she seen the fall? Had it been bad?_

"I'm coming with you," she croaked.

"No, you're not," Isshin replied. "Take his board. Take everything back to the hotel. Ichigo will look after everyone."

"But Dad-"

Toshiro never got to hear her argument, or maybe he did but he hadn't registered it. He was dragged away before being helped onto a snowmobile with the medic symbol.

The trip down the mountain was a blur; Toshiro just remembered being cold and tired, with a splitting ache in the back of his skull. Isshin had prodded him every other second, telling him not to sleep.

They reached the bottom of the mountain and Toshiro was transferred to an ambulance. They wanted him to sit in the back on the gurney, but Toshiro wanted to sit in the front with the driver and press the siren button – he was denied but one of the paramedics let him wear her stethoscope after she was done with it. He tried to listen to his own heartbeat but couldn't find it, leaving him quite worked up about it.

"It's the concussion speaking," the paramedic spoke to Isshin before she reached over and moved the stethoscope into the right position on his chest. "It's normal for the patient to be a bit loopy."

_What concussion?_

Toshiro heard the beats and chuckled. Thank goodness he had a heart.

"Dad!" he exclaimed, reaching for the man and batting at his chest weakly. "Come listen."

Isshin flashed him a feeble smile, but leaned over anyway and Toshiro tried to help him put the ear bits in but only made things more difficult. Eventually, Isshin got them in and listened to his heart.

"I'vah heart," Toshiro slurred excitedly, despite the tiredness racking his body.

"Of course you do, Kid," Isshin chuckled, though his eyes were glassy. He handed the ear pieces back to Toshiro who immediately began listening to his own heart beat again, delighted.

"Itso loud," he murmured, focus tunnelling. "There's like three in 'ere."

"Three hearts?" Isshin echoed.

"Concussion," the paramedic reminded him before she turned to Toshiro. "It's loud because you have a strong heart. It's very healthy."

"I'vah strong heart," Toshiro flashed his father a dopey grin before he settled back and closed his eyes, listening to the steady beat pulsing in his ears, his limbs feeling heavy.

"I know you do," Isshin murmured, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of Toshiro's heart beating.

Toshiro couldn't remember why they were in an ambulance but it was fun anyway, though he wished his head didn't hurt so much.

…

Hours passed, nurses came and went, the odd doctor popped in, and Toshiro was tired.

The snowboarder laid back in the hospital bed, no longer able to feel awkward about it. He felt his father holding his hand – the man hadn't let it go and Toshiro didn't have the heart to pull away – while he stared out the window, blinking when his eyes felt dry, and watching the sky grow dark. They told him not to sleep yet, but Toshiro desperately wanted to.

They had done their tests, their x-rays and brain scans, and nothing alarming had come up. They had given him painkillers and now it was down to 'observation'. It was night time now, but Toshiro still wasn't allowed to leave.

Slowly the confusion and disorientation of the concussion had worn off, and the memories of the day – though vague and disorderly – seeped back into Toshiro's mind. Most of the post-fall memories were useless, but he remembered most of the day prior to his final run. He remembered all the stuff with Rukia, he remembered fucking up his first two runs and the self-doubt that drove him to disaster in the final run of the day.

In summary, it had been a shit day.

Now he was lying in the hospital, head bandaged and medal-less, the future of his St Moritz Olympics hanging in the balance.

"Are you okay?" Isshin asked him softly, not for the first time that evening, and squeezed his hand.

Toshiro nodded like he had every other time before he turned away from the window to look at his father.

"Do you have my phone?" he asked, unable to remember where he had left the thing.

Isshin shook his head. "Left it up the mountain. I spoke to Zaraki, he grabbed all our things at the top and gave it to Rangiku when they got back."

"What about my board and stuff?"

"I gave it to Karin," Isshin told him, "she was able to get through the barrier with her coach's assistant pass."

Toshiro frowned slightly, remembering hearing his sister's voice after the fall. It was all so annoyingly vague in his mind.

What a disaster. What an embarrassing and painful disaster.

He had crashed in the middle of the Olympic slopestyle finals, in front of a large crowd that included his family members, and the millions of people watching from home. He hadn't seen the footage but undoubtedly would the second he had access to social media or even a television. He couldn't even imagine Australia's reaction, most of them waking up to see that headline everywhere.

'_Australian snowboarder proves why Australians should stick to summer sports.'_

'_Little Shiba can't quite live up to his father's greatness.'_

'_Matsumoto takes a silver, Shiba takes a beating.'_

Who knew what those tabloid papers would say?

He wondered if Rukia had seen the news. He wondered if she cared. He wanted to believe that she did, that maybe she would call or text or something, but she had seemed pretty content with new squeeze in that Instagram post that Toshiro was probably old news now.

He didn't want to think about that.

"So who won?" Toshiro asked, sighing. He hadn't really wanted to know the answer to that either (since the answer was likely Grimmjow), but it was the lesser of two evils.

Isshin regarded him for a moment.

"Yumichika took the gold," Isshin said at last.

That was actually the best thing Toshiro had heard all day. He felt his lips stretch into a smile as he choked on a laugh.

"He must be so happy," Toshiro breathed, grinning widely. "That's such great news."

Isshin hummed, "Grimmjow took silver, Ståle Sandbech took bronze."

"Stale Sandwich," Toshiro laughed again. "What a legend."

Ståle was new on the scene, only made it to the big leagues last season and Toshiro hadn't made much of a connection with him yet, only having seen him at competitions and the one time he had tried to talk to him they had been met with a significant language barrier.

"And you finished seventh, if you wanted to know," Isshin continued and Toshiro's smile fell, his father hurrying to correct it. "Which is an amazing achievement. It was your first Olympics, there was fresh snow on the course and you weren't… feeling your best. Seventh in an Olympic final is something to be proud of."

Toshiro frowned, not believing that. Sure, it was an achievement – even making it to the Olympics was a huge success, let alone making the finals and somehow not finishing last or even near last – but it wasn't what Toshiro had been going for. He had been going for gold, or at least a spot on the podium.

"Yeah," Toshiro muttered, trying to sound sincere to his father but it probably came off more sarcastic than anything (which it definitely was in his mind). "I'm really proud of myself."

"You should be," Isshin pressed and Toshiro exhaled.

A few minutes of silence dragged on. There was a small television hanging over the bed but it had been left off, knowing most channels would be showing the latest Olympic news and since the latest Olympic news was lying in that very hospital bed, Isshin decided it was better to leave it off.

"I'm tired," Toshiro complained. "And hungry."

He had been offered lunch – or was it dinner? – a few hours ago, and that was when Toshiro had still be high on painkillers and had absolutely lost it when the nurse presented him with a cheese sandwich, the bread of which was most definitely stale. He had laughed so hard he'd cried, wheezing out a choked 'Ståle Sandbech' over and over. Even Isshin had caught the contagious laughing, but eventually he got Toshiro to eat his jelly cup. Funnily enough, a small jelly cup wasn't enough to fill his stomach.

"I should be able to take you back to the village soon," Isshin sighed, glancing down at his watch. "We can stop for dinner on the way or get something in the canteen when we get there."

Toshiro sighed again.

"And since we're just sitting here," Isshin drawled, his hand squeezing Toshiro's again as he shifted forward in the plastic chair beside Toshiro's bed. "I want to talk about this message from Momo."

Groaning, Toshiro used his free hand to throw it over his eyes. He had known this was coming, but was hoping it could wait until later, like when he wasn't lying in a hospital bed in an itchy robe with no back to it.

"I want to talk about it now," Isshin told him, seemingly reading his mind. "It's affecting you, it's affecting everyone in the family, so let's get it out now, and tomorrow can be a new day."

Not moving and keeping his eyes covered, Toshiro remained silent. He heard Isshin shift again before he spoke up.

"I know what she did to you," his voice was low. "I know why you broke up, and I know this texting thing has been going on awhile. I know you thought ignoring it would lead to her getting bored, but that it hasn't been the case so far."

Toshiro was betting on Rangiku being the source of his father's information.

"We will be doing something about that when we get home," Isshin was being strict, voice leaving no room for negotiation. "But for now, I want to talk about some of the things she has said in this message, because I believe that_ you_ believe that what she has said is true."

Toshiro was still, like a block of ice. Or a corpse. Whatever.

"Look at me."

Toshiro shook his head, but Isshin leaned over and pulled his arm off his eyes, and Toshiro clenched his eye lids shut.

"Toshiro," Isshin said sternly. "Look at me."

Swallowing thickly, Toshiro did as he was told and reluctantly opened his eyes. Isshin's brown eyes were full of hurt and Toshiro hated it. The father of four sighed deeply, and used his free hand to cup Toshiro's cheek, stroking along the bone with his thumb gently. After a minute he let go and sat back in his chair, pulling his phone out of his pocket. By the expression on his face, Toshiro could tell he was reading the message again.

"The crux of this message seems to be that no one in your life loves you," Isshin frowned deeply. "That's what Momo trying to tell you."

"That's not true," Toshiro interjected, unsure if he was kidding or not, "Momo loves me."

"She's obsessed, not in love," Isshin corrected, obviously not sensing humour in his son's words.

"Oh okay," Toshiro chuckled then. "So I guess no one-"

"Don't-"

"- loves me then."

"- finish that sentence."

_Whoops._

Isshin shot him a look and Toshiro grimaced. He was trying a humour override to lighten the mood but it wasn't working. Maybe he could keep blaming the concussion?

Ignoring it, Isshin went on.

"Now I know Ichigo has spoken to you already-"

"Swooped in early," Toshiro commented dryly, "caught me at a bad time."

_Definitely the concussion._

Again, he was ignored.

"- and the girls want to do their own thing." Isshin continued. "We're going to come back to Rukia-"

"Please don't."

"But we'll start with your birth parents."

Toshiro exhaled deeply. This was really not where he had seen his evening going. Though, he hadn't expected to spend it in a hospital either so…

"I know Ichigo told you about The Incident in Canberra™," Toshiro huffed, pronouncing the ™, "but it's not a big deal. It was eight years ago, I fucked up, it hasn't happened since and it won't happen again so can we just drop it?"

"Well, why not?" Isshin asked, thankfully ignoring the swear word. "Why can't it happen again?"

"Because I don't want it to!" Toshiro snapped; he hated this topic, he hated it so much.

Isshin didn't flinch at his son's raised voice or the bite to his words. He just regarded him through a calm expression and concerned eyes.

"Why don't you want to know about your birth parents?" Isshin asked evenly. "You've got to be curious where you came from? Especially having grown up around seeing Ichigo interact with his birth parents."

Jaw clenching and eyes rolling hard enough to make him feel queasy again, Toshiro huffed once more; he and Ichigo weren't the same, and Ichigo's biological parents had turned out to be homophobic assholes, so why would they inspire Toshiro?

"Because if I acknowledge that I have birth parents, it means I have parents that aren't you and Mum," Toshiro answered honestly, though his voice was venomous. This was a dangerous topic. "I hate being reminded that I'm adopted because it makes me feel less like your son."

The media did it all the time ('Toshiro Shiba – the _adopted_ son…', 'Isshin Shiba's _adoptive_ son…') and it made him feel like shit.

"That could never be true, Toshiro," Isshin murmured, rubbing Toshiro's arm but the snowboarder shook his head.

"I don't want to be Toshiro Hitsugaya." Toshiro all but spat the name he remembered from seeing his old birth certificate. "I want to be Toshiro Shiba, but everyone feels the need to remind me that I'm _not_."

'Everyone' was a slight exaggeration.

"You_ are_ a Shiba." Isshin pressed, before a slight chuckle feel from his lips. "You're also a Kurosaki, maybe even more so… Well, Masaki, not her parents."

Toshiro blinked, confused, and Isshin sighed before elaborating.

"I know Yuzu looks like Mum," he murmured, "but of all four of you, you have the most of Masaki's personality."

The words settled and Toshiro stared dumbly; that was never a comparison people made, it was certainly not one he had made.

"It's kind of funny that you've tried so hard to be like me," Isshin smirked a little, "but you've come out a hundred percent your mother."

"What." Toshiro said it like a statement.

Isshin hummed.

"You've got the biggest heart I've ever seen, you'll put family before everything even if it hurts you. Someone needs something and you're the first up to help, even if they're stranger – you were hard to teach 'stranger danger' to, by the way," Isshin chuckled. "You'll sacrifice everything for the people you care about. You're annoyingly smart, but will do just about anything to please the people you look up to. You love animals and nature. You'll keep your room immaculately clean. You're very rule abiding, top of class in school and a teacher's pet, naturally. The list goes on, but every day I see more and more of Masaki in you. You have her heart."

Frowning deeply, Toshiro listened to his father's description. It's was definitely him, that much he knew, but he couldn't say how much of it was his mother. He had been four when she died, hadn't even known half of this stuff about her. The only thing he did know was that she had been so utterly kind and loving, even to people she barely knew.

"It's a little unnerving actually," Isshin smiled at him. "If there was ever an argument for nurture over nature, it's you."

Isshin knew Masaki better than anyone, but this was a lot to process.

"I'm not the only one who sees it," Isshin continued. "Ichigo does too, I think that's why he has struggled with you more than all the stuff he claims about you being better at school and whatever else."

Toshiro pressed back into the pillows, the shock coming over him. He'd never thought about it like that… though he had never made the comparison his father was making now. Though if Ichigo struggled with Toshiro being like Masaki, why didn't he struggle with Yuzu who was her spitting image?

"Kukaku and Ganju see it," Isshin listed off. "Even Jushiro and Kisuke have mentioned it to me since being here and they've barely met you, that's how obvious it is."

That made Toshiro scoff – it was not obvious, he wasn't even sure it was true.

"You're your mother, Kid," Isshin smirked at him, "but you're definitely a Shiba too, and nothing could ever change that."

It was with sudden realisation that Toshiro noted that he didn't know enough about his mother. For so long, he had avoided talking about her with the people who actually knew her. He had stuck to clinging onto the few memories he had of her and reading her book over and over. How had he ended up like her, as his father claimed, without actually knowing her? He supposed she had instilled some strong life lessons into him at a young age ('be kind', 'treat others how you want to be treated' and all that), and then Isshin had more than likely continued those lessons on as Toshiro grew up ('look after your siblings', 'don't say the word 'hate'', and so on).

It was weird. And confronting.

"Cute story," Toshiro murmured, frown deepening as he was still trying to compute everything that was being said, "but I still don't want to know anything about my birth parents."

"Okay," Isshin relented, sitting back in his seat again. "But if that ever changes, I want you to come to me, and we can look into it together."

A sharp nod was all Isshin got in response. Toshiro knew his father knew next to nothing about them either, given it had been a last minute closed adoption. It wasn't an offer Toshiro planned on ever taking up, but it was still assuring to know he had Isshin's support there if he ever needed it.

Isshin was quick to move onto his next point of concern in the text and Toshiro groaned; obviously Isshin wanted to get it all out now but Toshiro just wanted a bloody nap.

"So you know I love you the same amount as the girls-?" Isshin started.

"Dad, I'm gonna stop you right there," Toshiro held up a hand – the one that wasn't in his father's vice-like grip – to stop the man. "Ichigo told you what it's like for us. We know you love us-"

"Just how much of that conversation were you awake for?" Isshin frowned disapprovingly.

"-but it's different-"

"It's not-"

"_It is_, Dad," Toshiro felt his voice become thicker – this was an even worse topic.

"It's not to me," Isshin said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I really don't see the difference. I've had you all since you were newborns. I raised you all."

Toshiro closed his eyes; Isshin just didn't get it, but maybe that was a good thing.

"I love you all the same," Isshin pressed, "regardless of who brought you into this world. You're my son, Toshiro."

Chest tightening, Toshiro didn't want to open his eyes because he knew the second he did, the waterworks would be upon him. It was hard to keep it together when it felt like everything was falling apart around him. He didn't do this – he didn't talk about things, he just let them fester in the back of his mind and that was a fine approach if you asked him. It had worked well so far.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Isshin asked, voice sounding small in a way that Toshiro never wanted to hear. "I'm your father. I'm your coach. Yet, you've always been so closed up to me. Why?"

Toshiro didn't answer, he didn't open his eyes.

"Everyone says you love me more than anyone," Isshin continued, going straight for Toshiro's heart. "Everyone says you took up snowboarding for me, to be closer to me, but I feel like you're always running from me. I don't understand."

The white haired man opened his eyes and turned to look at his father. Isshin was regarding him with uncertainty, like he was trying to figure out who his son really was. There was hurt in his eyes, and insecurity, like he was questioning whether or not he had really been a good father to Toshiro.

If a tear fell from Toshiro's eye, that was no one's business.

So he, for the first time ever, explained the truth to Isshin. Right from the start – the bloody bed time story rejection anecdote – to now. He told him how, from his perspective, he had been helping. Not just Isshin but his siblings and aunt, uncle and god mother too. He was trying not to be a burden.

He had hoped that the truth would make his father feel better, but in the end, it only made him cry, much to Toshiro's distress.

"I've failed you," Isshin shook his head, sitting back in the chair and wiping his wet cheeks with his sleeve.

"What? No," Toshiro frowned. "That wasn't the point of the story."

"But it's the truth," Isshin sighed shakily. "It started when you were five, and I didn't even notice how much I had missed from your life until you were teenager. I didn't know why until now, and you're an adult."

"Adult," Toshiro scoffed, trying his hand at humour again. "I can't even do my laundry."

For what it was worth, it earned a slight snort from Isshin and a weak smile.

"If you think you're a burden on me," the father murmured after a lengthy sigh, "then I have failed you."

"I was worried about you," Toshiro told him, recalling how close his father looked to breaking just about every day in the years following Masaki's death.

"You're not the one that's supposed to worry, Kid."

A lengthy silence followed as Toshiro stewed in all the overwhelming emotions that were welling inside his body. Never in his life had he felt as many emotions as he had in the last forty eight hours. Everything hurt – from the concussion in his head to the aching in his heart. He hoped, as his father had said, that tomorrow would be a new day.

Eventually moving, Isshin seemed to want to bridge the gap between them. He stood from the chair and sat himself on the edge of Toshiro's hospital bed. He reached out to brush Toshiro's hair off his face before he leaned over him, bring him into a tight embrace. Hugging tightly back, Toshiro rested his head on the bigger man's shoulder, and neither of them said anything for a long time.

A doctor finally returned to check on Toshiro, and after consulting his patient chart and once again checking all of Toshiro's vitals, he announced Toshiro could leave the hospital, but was to remain on bed rest for the next twenty four hours.

"So I can compete in the halfpipe finals?" Toshiro clarified, almost disbelievingly. The men's finals were in two days' time.

"Yes, I suppose you can," the doctor answered, somewhat hesitantly. "I don't really recommend it but as far as I can tell, you're physical fine to. You'll have to get your helmet replaced though."

The doctor left in order to get Toshiro's release papers in order and the young snowboarder turned to Isshin with hope in his eyes.

"You really want to compete so soon?" Isshin asked, looking torn. "I'm not sure about it, Toshiro."

"I want to compete," Toshiro nodded firmly, "but it's your call. You're the coach… and my dad."

This was in stark contrast to the last time Toshiro had an injury that risked his Olympics chances. Back then he had demanded to compete, regardless of what Isshin or his doctor had said, and of course, he had been overruled, much to his despair and anger.

Eventually Isshin gave a long, suffering sigh.

"You can compete," he announced and Toshiro launched himself straight into the man's arms, full of relief and gratitude. Isshin gasped, a little winded by the sudden attack, but his arms came around Toshiro anyway. "But you will rest all of tomorrow."

"Of course," Toshiro nodded quickly.

"I'll sort out a new helmet for you."

"Thank you," Toshiro hummed, feeling Isshin lean down to press a kiss into his hair.

A nurse returned to the room with Toshiro's release papers and a few minutes later, the father-son/coach-athlete duo left the hospital, climbing into a Swiss taxi.

"So just quickly, I want to talk about Rukia," Isshin nudged Toshiro, who had been staring out the window, surprised to see rain starting to fall down on St Mortiz.

"Dad, forget it," Toshiro mumbled sadly. "She has already moved on, I wasn't anything special to her."

"Well that's not what I've heard," Isshin murmured back softly, "and after getting a look into how your brain works tonight, I think your judgement is askew."

"I'm not really in the mood to have my heart broken for the third time in two days."

"And I'm not in the mood to see you mope around for the rest of the Olympics," Isshin said and Toshiro could hear the eye roll. "Especially when there is a pretty girl on the line."

The last bit was said suggestive and Toshiro threw his father a disturbed look that had the older man chuckling.

"I'm just saying not to give up," Isshin added, "… though maybe leave it until after your finals. God knows we don't need you distracted anymore that necessary."

"I won't be distracted next time," Toshiro responded firmly, "I'll be concentrating. Couldn't possibly let Ichigo have all the glory."

Isshin rolled his eyes again. "You boys will be the death of me."

"But you love us, you said so."

"Yeah, I do."

…

They stopped in the canteen on their way back up to the hotel rooms so Toshiro could have something to eat. Of course, they ran in Yumichika there who was all over one of the Team America men, clearly celebrating his gold. Thankfully he was too busy to notice Toshiro because as much the Australian snowboarder loved Yumichika's, uh, _enthusiastic_ personality, Toshiro was just a little bit too worn out to face it.

Isshin sat Toshiro down with a grilled halloumi wrap and a bottle of water, and they sat in comfortable silence for a while as they ate, the music from the nearby bar a dull background throb. He wondered vaguely if Rukia would be there, maybe with the guy from last night or perhaps a new one. Shaking away the thought, Toshiro pulled his hood up, hoping it would shield him from any athletes milling around that may have seen the footage of his fall already. He was now sure most had, since it was playing on the television in the corner and an evening newspaper discarded on their table had pictures of the crash plastered all over the front page. Grimacing, Isshin followed his line of sight to the paper before quickly snatching the thing up and tossing to the table behind him.

"Ignore it," Isshin murmured. "Tomorrow is a new day."

_Tomorrow is a new day_ – Toshiro's recently adopted mantra.

They finished up their dinner and headed up to the rooms. It was coming up on midnight now, and Toshiro wondered if the rest of his family would still be up.

The question was answered for him the second he stepped inside his hotel room, and a blonde blur barrelled into him, sobbing loudly. Toshiro staggered back in shock, his arms coming around the body latched onto him while Isshin steadied him from behind.

"Careful, Yuzu," Isshin murmured, but there was no real authority in his voice.

"I am so sorry, Tosh," Yuzu was crying into Toshiro's chest, leaving the white haired man's heart clenching. "I never wanted you to think I was using you to get what I want."

Momo's text reared its ugly head again and Toshiro was suddenly confronted with just how much her words had hurt not only him but his whole family. Isshin was right – it was time to do something about it, because while Toshiro could deal with her trying to hurt him, he would not tolerate her going after his family. Of course, her intention probably hadn't been for that message to get back to them but it didn't matter. It had got back to them and it had hurt them all.

Well, Toshiro had been the one to hurt them all really, since it was his insecurities she was shoving in their faces.

Around the room, his family were lounging across his and Ichigo's beds, all of them obviously waiting for him and Isshin to return from the hospital. They all looked so tired. Kukaku looked almost sick with worry, pale as he had ever seen her, while Yoruichi's expression was knowing and grim. Ichigo looked like he'd been crying, and even Renji was there with a supportive hand on his boyfriend's back. Both Karin and Rangiku were lying in Toshiro's bed, curled up together whilst Karin was wearing one of his hoodies; she looked so overwhelmed and exhausted. Even Jinta was there, and for once he didn't have the expression of a cocky shit – he looked worried, though that was likely for Yuzu's sake more than Toshiro's. The girl in question was in Toshiro's arms; Yuzu was crying and he was too shocked to muster up any words, instead favouring tightening his hold on her and burying his nose in her blonde locks.

"I just- just asked you to help me with all those things so we could spend time together," she sobbed, "I didn't think you would want to hang out if I didn't need anything."

Thoughts and heart beat coming to an abrupt stop, Toshiro lifted his head and looked down at the girl.

"What do you mean?" Toshiro asked her, eyes wide with shock. "I thought you wouldn't want to hang out with me."

"No, I wanted to," she murmured, "I just didn't know if _you_ wanted to… I can never tell what you're thinking."

Because Toshiro had been so closed off.

It occurred to the snowboarder in that moment that maybe, just maybe, closing up had been more of a selfish act than selfless like he thought. If he had made his sister think he didn't want to spend time with her, then he had caused her more harm than help. If he had made Isshin feel like a bad father, then he had really fucked up.

"I'm sorry," Toshiro breathed, pulling her tighter. "I love you to death, Yuzu. I should have initiated more time together."

"Well we can now, right?" she glanced up at him with teary, hopeful eyes.

"Of course we can," Toshiro kissed her forehead.

That seemed to settle the young skater, but she didn't let go of him even as one by one, his family members came up to give him a hug. In the background, Isshin filled them in on the hospital trip.

There was a bit of uproar when Toshiro announced he was definitely still competing in the halfpipe in two days' time, but Isshin backed him up and his family reluctantly pulled back their protests.

It was well after one in the morning when anyone seemed to really notice the time. Isshin was quick to send Rangiku back to her room since it was her halfpipe finals they would all be going to tomorrow. The strawberry blonde had wanted to stay with Toshiro, but since Karin had now taken up residency in Toshiro's bed, Isshin argued that three of them squished into a double bed wouldn't result in a good sleep for anyone, especially his athlete who needed to compete in an Olympic final the following day and his son who was coming off the back of a serious crash and resulting concussion.

"I'm coming for a cuddle in the morning then," Rangiku sulked as she pulled Toshiro's head to her chest.

"That's fine," Isshin compromised, "but only if you get a proper sleep first."

Rangiku squeezed Toshiro tighter.

"It's fine, Ran," Toshiro rasped out a chuckle, finding it hard to breathe as he usually did in her boa constrictor-type hugs. "I'll see you in the morning."

With a pout, a dramatic sigh and one last tight squeeze, Rangiku reluctantly returned to her room, Yoruichi following, but not without ruffling Toshiro's hair on her way out.

Yuzu was also hesitant about leaving, looking like she wanted to stay with her siblings, but with some gentle encouragement for Jinta, the two of them left, accompanied by Kukaku. Ichigo and Renji were in for the night apparently, but it was clear they were just going to sleep and Toshiro was thankfully not going to be kicked from the room (not that he thought they would actually do that to him after the afternoon he, and all of them, had had).

Karin latched onto him the moment Toshiro laid down in his bed and he sighed contently, happy to have her with him. He felt better now, having eaten, seen his family and even ducked in for a quick shower, or maybe he was now just beyond tired, but either way, it was nice to have a warm body next to him in bed. He did secretly wish that body was Rukia's though, even after what he had seen on her Instagram this morning.

Maybe it was the crash? He just wanted to hold her again. Every time he thought about her with that other guy, he felt sick to his stomach, but he felt even worse every time he thought of a future without her in his life. His father was right, Toshiro couldn't give up. He would have to talk to her, try and win her back, but it would have to wait until after his halfpipe finals. He couldn't risk crashing like that again, for a number of reasons, and of course, he really wanted to go for gold.

…

** Toshiupdates**  
_NOOOOOOOOOO TOSHIRO! HOLY SHIT THAT CRASH _

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_He looked dead (crying face). I can't believe it, I don't know what to say._

** ToshiroFan1234**  
_I can't stop crying!_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_I wonder if Rukia's post threw him off his game? (sad face) __** RukiaFansOfficial**__ any news on this?!_

** ShibaSibsAreLyf**  
_Thinking of Toshiro and his family tonight! That must have been so awful for them to witness._

** Toshiupdates**  
_** ShibaSibsAreLy**__f yeah his dad looked distraught on the scene (crying face). I don't know if we'll see him in the halfpipe finals now (sad face)_

** ToshiroFan1234**  
_(heart) __** Toshhiba**__ get better soon! _


	11. The Halfpipe Finals

The morning following his horrifically embarrassing crash on the slopestyle course, Toshiro's body was stiff and sore, and the back of his skull throbbed with a dull ache. Still, in comparison to his hangover two mornings prior, this pain had him barely batting an eyelid. Karin had stayed the night in his bed, just like she used to when she was a little kid afraid of the loud summer thunderstorms. It was nice actually, having her close to him again.

Toshiro had sighed deeply when he checked his phone in the morning and saw the headlines surrounding his crash. He made the mistake of watching the clip back and _shit_, it had looked really bad. He had a million messages in his Instagram inbox, from people he didn't know and people he hadn't spoken to in years – there were even some from the RukiShiro supporters, some of whom he suspected were sending condolence messages for more than just his crash. Rukia had since removed the photo she had put up the other day, but the image still burned in Toshiro's mind, causing a more severe headache than the accident had.

When Karin woke up she confiscated his phone, and pulled him down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"Ignore them," she murmured, as she tugged him to sit beside her at a table.

News of his accident had obviously spread around the Olympic village and Toshiro was now on the receiving end of many sympathetic looks and less-than-subtle side glances.

Ichigo was now on day three of his whole 'being a better brother' lifestyle, and even gave Toshiro a hug when he and Renji joined them for breakfast.

"You little shit," Ichigo teased, though his voice lacked all the humour needed for this to be funny. "Scaring me like that after our deep and meaningful the other day."

"Sorry," Toshiro shrugged into his brother's shoulder, grinning though his lips didn't stretch all the way up.

Slowly, the rest of the family trickled down for breakfast and Toshiro found himself under the microscope. It was confronting to suddenly be the centre of attention in the family, but he tried to stay calm for them. He'd seen the crash now, and he knew he had really scared them. He was grateful they cared so much.

"Yukio hasn't stopped calling me," Rangiku told him softly as she slipped into the seat beside him. "He's freaking out, so you better give him a call today."

"I will," Toshiro frowned, remembering seeing his WhatsApp inbox full too but not getting a chance to read them before Karin battered the phone away.

She squeezed his shoulder before reaching over and taking a sip from his coffee.

"Get your own," Toshiro frowned.

"Nah, I don't feel like a whole one," she giggled. "It doesn't sit well in my stomach when I'm flipping through the air."

Today was Rangiku's halfpipe final and of course she was the favourite to win, even after Yachiru's abrupt climb up the ladder. Toshiro was going to watch with Karin and Yoruichi and he was excited to see her perform. Of course, he had seen her perform so many times in the past, but due to his skateboarding accident four years ago and the unruly hangover the other day, he had never actually seen her perform an Olympics final live. It was going to be nice to just sit back in the stands this time and just watch, enjoying the day for what it was. He hoped the media would ignore him, but after his crash yesterday, he wasn't sure he was going to get that; Toshiro just hoped they would report that he was looking better today, and that he was still a fierce competitor for his halfpipe tomorrow.

He was sure the media at this afternoon's ice skating gala might be another story. Yuzu had her gala performance, which would comprise of a routine she and Jinta had put together as well as a group routine with all the other skaters participating in the gala. She had asked Toshiro to come watch her; she had used her sad puppy dog eyes that were impossible to refuse, and it wasn't that Toshiro hadn't wanted to watch her because he really did, but… but Rukia would be there. She was due to perform too and Toshiro wasn't sure he could face seeing her just now, not where his head was or the fact she would probably be smiling out to her audience, looking happy. Whether she was happy or not was up for debate, but she had seemed pretty satisfied in that picture she had posted to her Instagram. Still, Toshiro was first and foremost a brother and he would watch his sister perform, even if that meant feeling his heart aching for a certain Irish skater.

"Rangiku," Isshin's stern voice called, pulling Toshiro back to reality. "Eat your breakfast."

Rangiku pouted before using her spoon to scoop up the smallest portion of porridge and popping it into her mouth. Isshin nodded, satisfied, and turned back to Yuzu who was telling an animated story of yesterday's gala rehearsals, but Toshiro hadn't missed the way Rangiku's hand had trembled ever so slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked, putting his hand on the small of her back for a moment.

Rangiku Matsumoto was rarely nervous.

"Yeah," she nodded voice unconvincing.

"Yeah?" Toshiro repeated doubtfully.

"Yeah, I mean," Rangiku swallowed, "another day, another comp, right?"

"Another medal," Toshiro added with a smirk, giving his best friend a small nudge in the side.

Rangiku grimaced before she sighed, "But probably not the gold."

Toshiro blinked at her dumbly; Rangiku had not_ not_ taken home a gold in about five years. Every competition, every season, she had been undefeated. Did she really see Yachiru as that much of a threat?

"I'm fine with not taking the gold," she continued quietly, so no one but him could hear her, "but I don't want to let down my country or my fans… and I really don't want to disappoint my parents. They're watching at home, you know, and they've got all my aunts and uncles coming over, cousins I haven't even met before and just about every neighbour in our street."

It was Toshiro's turn to grimace.

"Ran, you could never let them down," he told her reassuringly. "You could come dead last and they still wouldn't stop boasting about you to anyone who would listen."

Rangiku was an only child, so she was the centre of her parents' lives, and Mr and Mrs Matsumoto didn't want to talk about anything else. A conversation with them was largely one-sided as no one else seemed to get a word in.

The strawberry blonde rolled her eyes, knowing full well what her parents were like.

"_And,"_ Toshiro added, with a slightly humorous smirk, "you couldn't possibly let down your country or your fans anymore than I did yesterday, so don't worry."

Was he still trying to deal with this through sarcasm? No, not at all.

"That was pretty brutal," Rangiku shot him a glare to which Toshiro shrugged, though he wasn't sure if she was talking about the crash itself or the joke he'd just made.

Regardless, Rangiku seemed to relax a fraction and the rest of breakfast seemed to pass quickly and without incident. Yuzu, Jinta and Kukaku broke off to get ready for the final rehearsals before that evening's gala, while Ichigo and Renji set off on whatever big date plans they had for today.

Isshin ordered Rangiku, Karin and Toshiro up to their rooms to get ready, strictly insisting they dress warm, though his eyes seemed to land on Toshiro's in particular when he made the command. They hurried up and changed, the white haired snowboarder making sure to layer up, pulling on his beloved black Quiksilver beanie. He was appreciative that it covered most of his hair that generally was the iconic part of his appearance and for which most people recognised him by. He was also grateful for the soft and not too firm fabric covering the bump on the back of his head from yesterday's harsh impact on the slopestyle course.

Returning to the lobby, he met his father and Karin, while Rangiku was running late, of course.

"How are you feeling today?" Isshin asked him, his huge hand clamping Toshiro's shoulder.

"Better," Toshiro answered honestly.

He did feel better today. Not about Rukia, and not about his Olympic snowboarding career but he did feel better about his place in the family, and his relationships with his father and siblings. He also felt better physically, now that he was neither hungover nor concussed, and to be entirely honest, he wasn't that nervous for his halfpipe final tomorrow. After yesterday, anything would be an improvement and at this point, he would be grateful to make through all three runs undamaged. He didn't believe he would medal, which was a bit of a blow at first but he had accepted it now, so in a way, a lot of pressure had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt lighter than he had in a while, because even though he wouldn't be walking away from these games with a medal or a girlfriend, he would still be leaving with an improved family relationship and far less anxiety.

Besides, he was young and healthy – if he looked after himself, he still had another Winter Olympics, if not two, left in him.

Eventually Rangiku stepped out of the elevator to join them, donning the green and gold of their country's sporting colours. She was on the phone to her parents, getting their final wishes of luck before the competition commenced.

They headed to the mountain, taking the chair lifts up quietly. The crowds wouldn't begin trickling in for another half hour or so as the officials made sure to get all the athletes up and ready before the chaos of the audience began to arrive.

Watching as the mountain slipped by beneath them and the snow got thicker as they rose up in altitude, Toshiro felt peaceful. It was nice, until Rangiku started nudging him in the ribs.

"Isshin told me you're going to try and reach out to Rukia," she told him, her eyes searching his for a reaction.

Toshiro shrugged.

"After my competition, maybe," he murmured, "but I don't want to think about it until afterwards. I can't afford the distraction."

"That's fair," Rangiku nodded slowly, but he could see her mental cogs turning, and she looked almost torn over something. She wanted to tell him something, he could tell.

"Spit it out, Ran," Toshiro sighed. "If you know something, you've got to tell me."

He understood that his and Rukia's kinda-sorta break up left her in a difficult position, what with her budding romance with Gin and all. Gin was Rukia's best friend and she was Toshiro's, it was natural for them to want to take sides and keep their loyalty, but that not at the expense of their own relationship. Toshiro felt his heart pull a little; he hoped whatever had happened with him and Rukia hadn't caused any strain on Rangiku and Gin, or Ichigo and Renji for that matter. They all seemed to still be happy together, but Toshiro hated the idea that he could have ruined things for any of them, especially when his brother and best friend were the happiest he had ever seen them.

After a moment, she exhaled "Yuzu told me that Rukia was there when they watched your crash live, apparently she, like, _lost it."_

"Lost it?" Toshiro repeated, feeling something constrict in his chest at the thought of Rukia seeing that.

"Like _we_ lost it," Rangiku told him in a way that suggested he should be picking up what she was putting down. "I spoke to Gin as well, and he said she was pretty shaken by it."

Toshiro leaned in the back of chair and sighed shakily as he processed everything. If she really reacted like that, then she must have still cared for him. He felt guilty for crashing, not that he had wanted to, because he had scared and hurt so many people in the process, even people like Rukia that he hadn't thought would care. He then felt guilty for thinking she wouldn't care. She was a beautiful person, of course she would care! But her caring didn't mean that she wanted to be with him, and Toshiro had to acknowledge that. He would care if he heard of something bad like that happening to Momo and he didn't even like her as a person anymore, let alone in a romantic way.

It was then that Toshiro decided he would reach out to Rukia personally after his halfpipe final, if only to apologise for everything that had happened.

"I'll message her tomorrow night," Toshiro hummed. "I know I should do it now, but I can't afford to be distracted."

"I know," Rangiku smiled sadly, "and none of us can afford to face losing you again. It will better for Rukia to cool off for a day anyway, she's got that gala tonight too."

"Don't remind me," Toshiro grimaced, realising that even his younger sister had been caught up in his drama and also put in the same difficult position.

He hoped what had happened between him and Rukia hadn't affected her idolisation of the Irish skating queen. Toshiro prayed that Yuzu hadn't seen Rukia's post on Instagram of her and that random dude, because Yuzu was just about the biggest RukiShiro shipper of them all and probably would have taken that as much of a betrayal as Toshiro had himself.

Thankfully Rangiku went back to her own reflective thoughts so Toshiro could absorb this information peacefully. Soon though, they reached the top of the mountain and Isshin whisked Rangiku away to the athletes' staging area to warm up while Toshiro and Karin found prime seats in the still empty grand stand with a few other family members who had snuck up early. Yoruichi was coming up once she 'found good coffee'.

They played 'I Spy' while they waited for the competition to commence and a bunch of other waiting games they had played as kids on long road trips or in the lengthy queues, but they were still dancing around the topic of Karin's soccer career. Toshiro would not – could not – let her put it on hold for him. She was his sister, and one of his best friends, but they had to learn to live separately and Karin had to follow her dreams.

In the end, he was the one to bring it back up.

"I spy with my little eye..." Toshiro had started fully intending on playing another round with Karin, but his thoughts were elsewhere and that is why he ended up finishing the sentence with, "your continuing _Fussball_ career in Germany."

"That's not how you play I Spy" Karin frowned disapprovingly as she leaned back in her chair, looking entirely betrayed. "You have to be able to actually see the thing, and you're not supposed to tell me the answer."

"I see it in my head," Toshiro shrugged, "and I need you to see it."

"And you didn't pronounce 'Fussball' right," Karin gritted her teeth.

"Karin, I'm serious," Toshiro sighed deeply. "I can't be the reason you give up your dreams, and you can pin it on being home sick but I know what it's really about. I'm really sorry I thought that you were trying to get away from me when you left for Germany, and I know it's not true."

"How could you think that if you know it's not true," Karin muttered, looking away from him and out to the massive halfpipe.

Olympic officials and media representatives were running back and forth getting ready for the competition and around them, the audience members were beginning to file into their seats.

"My thoughts get twisted sometimes," Toshiro told her softly. "Momo had some pretty vile views on our relationship-"

"I heard-"

"And while she's crazy, I thought she was right about me depending on you too much," Toshiro swallowed, "and I thought that I was smothering you with it."

"I initiate most of the times we hang out," Karin argued quickly, "because we have so much fun and get along so well."

"I know," Toshiro hummed, smiling slightly.

"Besides," Karin huffed, "could you imagine Yuzu running around a dirty field after a muddy ball?"

That had Toshiro chucking; Yuzu was much more the gentle ballerina, mildly-neat freak type. Karin was the absolute opposite.

"My point is," Toshiro sighed eventually, "I felt like I was holding you back from your dreams, and I don't want to feel like that again, and I really don't want you to sacrifice your career for me."

Karin stayed silent for a long time, so long in fact that the competition got under way and it wasn't until the third woman had completed her run that she spoke again.

"I'm not going back to Germany," she murmured and just before Toshiro's heart broke, she added, "I got offered another contract."

"That's fantastic!" Toshiro's face lit up, feeling a small amount of relief wash over him. "Who with?"

"The Chicago Red Stars," Karin breathed and Toshiro grinned widely.

"You'd be playing with Sam Kerr," he smiled widely.

Sam Kerr was Karin's favourite female soccer player. She was Australian, captain of Australia's national team 'the Matildas' and during the season, played for the US league team, the Chicago Red Stars. She was the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of the National Women's Soccer League.

Sam Kerr was to Karin what Rukia Kuchiki was to Yuzu.

"Yeah," Karin chuckled nervously, her eyes going wide for a moment. "That's insane."

"She could mentor you," Toshiro continued to grin, realising what a perfect opportunity this was for Karin, probably even better than Germany. "She captains the Matildas, she would know what they're looking for in new recruits and she could get you there better than anyone."

"Right," Karin nodded but Toshiro could see the hesitation.

"You're going to take it, right?" he pressed. "Karin, this is literally the opportunity of your dreams."

"I know," Karin sighed, almost longingly, before she frowned again. "Chicago is just as far away as Germany though and the time zone difference is just as shit. And the season runs on the opposite months, so now we can't hang out in your off season because I will be on season."

"But," Toshiro countered quickly, "that means that I'll be off when you're on and vice versa which means we can go to each other's competitions. I'll get to see you play beside _the_ Sam Kerr."

"I'm getting the feeling you just want me to play with her so I'll introduce you," Karin narrowed her eyes at Toshiro who barked out a laugh.

"Maybe so," he joked, "but also because it's the perfect team for you."

The fourth rider went down the halfpipe, and Karin and Toshiro's conversation was interrupted for a moment, silence slicing through them when the Japanese girl fell after hitting the lip of the halfpipe's wall. She was okay, but the incident was an uncomfortable reminder of what had happened the day before during his slopestyle.

"I can't go," Karin said quickly and Toshiro saw the apprehension in her eyes.

"You can go," Toshiro argued, "and you have to."

"But Chicago is so far," she complained dramatically, almost like Rangiku would, but Toshiro's big brother senses were tingling and he could see the fear clear as day.

"All the good teams are," Toshiro rolled his eyes, "just like all the good mountains are far away. It's something we have to accept about our career choices."

Karin pouted and crossed her arms with a huff, like a child about to start a temper tantrum and Toshiro believed it.

"I promise you that if you go, I won't think you're trying to get away from me," Toshiro said genuinely. "I promise I won't drop your calls and if shit goes wrong, I promise to tell you how I'm feeling."

"You said that before," Karin muttered dejectedly, "like two weeks ago, and then look what happened."

Toshiro sighed deeply. "I know, and I was a bad brother, but I'm working on it. The talk with Dad yesterday helped me to see how much I was hurting everyone by closing off, so I'm determined not to let that happen again."

Karin's eyes fluttered closed and she slumped against him with another huff, but Toshiro took that to be a good sign. They watched the rest of the round without saying much and Yoruichi eventually turned up with her coffee, though she was busy texting to be chatty.

They watched as straight off the bat, Yachiru's first run scored in the low nineties. She was pulling off moves that were usually only seen in the men's competition and that was only the first round – if she had something bigger planned, Toshiro wasn't sure Rangiku's planned big finale would cut it. Nobody's would.

Rangiku went last as the winner of the heats and she was fantastic! Her lines were clean and sharp, her tricks almost faultless and her style was terrific to watch, but she scored lower than Yachiru, sitting in the high eighties, second overall after the first runs. Regardless of that, Rangiku still appeared happy and positive as she waved to the crowd and the audience, and as far as Toshiro could see from where he was sitting high up in the stands, she looked genuine, the fear he had seen during her heats and even during breakfast seemed to have disappeared.

"How old is Yachiru?" Karin asked as the athletes got ready for the second round of runs.

"Eighteen," Toshiro answered.

Karin whistled and Toshiro had to agree; she was impressive. If that's what she could do now, it was impossible to comprehend the tricks she might be able to do in a few more years. To be fair, she had grown up on a board and competed all the way through the juniors, whereas Rangiku had come into quite late, and was still being forced to finish high school properly, limiting her training and competing time as a student. Toshiro hadn't started training or competing at all until after school and had started straight in the senior division, but luckily he had been snowboarding and skateboarding his whole life.

"I'll go to Chicago," Karin said suddenly and Toshiro choked on the water he was sipping on. "But there will be rules for you. You will be completely honest with me all the time, like always and if I find out you're lying, I'll tear you to shreds, is that clear?"

Toshiro stifled his coughs and nodded quickly.

"You will message me every day," Karin continued, voice firm and commanding, "and you will send me Brooklyn Nine-Nine gifs and memes."

"Done," Toshiro laughed.

"And I reserve the right to come home immediately if anything happens."

Toshiro sighed deeply but agreed anyway; he just had to make sure nothing happened.

"Good," Karin nodded decidedly. "It's settled then."

"I'm very happy about this," Toshiro smiled at her with sincerity and he was. Of course he would miss her but it was important that she went after her career. He moved to hug her, and sighed happily into her shoulder. "I'm really proud of you."

"Oh shut up," Karin rolled her eyes and shoved away with a chuckle. "You just want to meet Sam Kerr."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and ruffled his sister's ebony hair. He was happy for her, truly. He would miss her like mad but he would be away too half of the year and this way they might actually see each other more, or at least see each other's competitions in person. More importantly, Karin would be living her dream and be taking a huge step forward in career, getting her closer to her ultimate fantasy – playing for the Australian nation women's team.

The second runs of Rangiku's finals got underway and Toshiro and Karin were watching each rider on the edge of their seats. There were falls and mistakes but in between, there were so many incredible moments. Yachiru's second run fell short of her first, with a fall on the final trick cutting her second run score down to the low seventies, but luckily for her it would be the best of three scores that ultimately defined her final standing, and still no one had topped her first run score. Well, no one until Rangiku. The strawberry blonde absolutely slayed her second run, with two switch tricks and two 1080s, with a flavour that would top every other rider's flavour points that day. Toshiro and Karin shot out of their seats in euphoria and wild cheering when their Australian rider's score was announced to be 93.56.

Rangiku Matsumoto was in the lead, with Yachiru a close second on 91.89, and an American woman on 88.02, but there was still one more round to go.

It was a hard field; Toshiro knew Rangiku would be feeling the pressure as come the end of the second runs, a strong top three had developed, while the rest of the back trailed behind. Though with the best of three scores being taken, it was truly anyone's game. All it took was one amazing run in the end game and that woman would be the newest Olympic gold medallist.

"This is horrific," Toshiro gasped, slumping back in his seat while they waited for the turnaround between runs to be completed. "I hate waiting and I am so nervous."

Karin chuckled, "You've seen her take home countless medals before, you know she'll be on that podium."

"I know, I know," Toshiro groaned, "but it's so stressful to watch."

"Now you know how we feel watching you and Ichigo," Karin smirked, tipping back her early morning Coca-Cola (Toshiro had suggested water or even juice, but to be fair, he was just thankful it wasn't alcoholic).

The third and final runs began and the first ten riders were irrelevant, nobody scored above an 85, leaving the podium three finalised by the time Yachiru's turn came back around. The American had taken bronze, and Yachiru and Rangiku were guaranteed gold and silver between them, but who would get which medal would be decided.

"Told ya she'd medal," Karin smirked.

"But it might not be the gold," Toshiro uttered quietly, gripping the sides of his chair so tightly that his knuckles were whiter than his hair.

Never before had he worried that Rangiku might not win gold, and though he would be stoked with a silver medal, he wasn't sure she would after living the golden life for so long.

Yachiru's run began.

The pink haired Kiwi started off with a beautiful method air, though like Toshiro, she couldn't get the height on it. Still, it was smooth and clean.

Her second trick was a front side 540 with a stalefish grab. Again, clean and beautiful. Her third trick was the matching backside version of the trick and she followed that with a front side 720. She threw it with everything she had and even Toshiro had to grin widely – the little pink haired menace had really matured and he could tell she had put in the long hours of practice. Her run was phenomenal and she would be the most well-deserving silver medallist, because as good as it was, it wouldn't be enough to take down Rangiku's final run. Toshiro wasn't even sure it would be enough to take down Yachiru's first run score.

At least that was what he thought until he saw the New Zealander's next trick.

Yachiru landed her 720 with ease before shooting up the wall and the second she got the first flip around with plenty of time for the second, Toshiro knew it was game over.

The announcers went wild and the audience lost their shit.

Yachiru Zaraki of New Zealand, eighteen years old, had just become the first woman in the world to land a double-crippler, a terrifying double flip trick that Rangiku could never manage with her long limbs.

Toshiro felt the world still for a second as Yachiru finished her run with a cheeky little method air and flew into the waiting arms of her cheering co-competitors, her name going down in the history books forever.

Yachiru was back in the lead, with a score of 96.84.

"Fuck," Karin half choked-half laughed and all Toshiro could do was nod.

Rangiku's run was next and he wasn't sure she could beat it.

The world turned their heads back to the top of the slope and waited to watch and see if the reigning queen of the halfpipe could take on the young underdog.

Rangiku slipped into the pipe gracefully, the forest green of her uniform contrasting nicely with the strawberry of her hair and her bright pink gloves and eye mask.

Like Yachiru, her first trick was a method air and it was unbelievable. Fifteen feet at least while the underside of her board showed off her major sponsor in bold pink lettering, 'ROXY'.

From there she went straight into the front side 1080 with a tail grab. She was one of the few women in the world that could get a 1080 around and yet she made it look so easy.

Then Australia's golden girl hit them with three highly technical tricks in a row that had the crowd gasping each time.

A switch front side 900, a switch backside 540 and a switch cab 1080.

Toshiro's jaw was dropped; he had never seen Rangiku board like this before.

She was amazing, truly the queen of the pipe.

Did his eyes get a little wet when she finished her run and was immediately surrounded by Yachiru and the rest of her field, them all celebrating together like they were friends rather than rivals? Well now that was Toshiro's business and no one else's. Except Karin apparently, who rolled her eyes hard and called him a 'softie'.

With a great amount of stress and no one oxygen going into his lungs, Toshiro waited in baited silence with the crowd as the judges played back the run time and time again. He didn't envy them; it was so close to call.

On one hand, Yachiru had just landed a trick no other woman could, and her run had been truly amazing. On the other, Rangiku had absolutely slayed too. If Yachiru hadn't thrown in that history-defining trick, Rangiku would have for sure won it, but now no one could tell which way the judges would go.

Overall, Rangiku's run was better. It was more exciting the entire way through. Yachiru's had one defining moment, but it was that moment that would be remembered forever, and Toshiro was pretty sure that when people thought of this Olympic final, it would be that moment they remembered, not Rangiku's run.

And that must have been the judges thoughts to because the scores came back and Rangiku finished on a score of 96.72.

Second place, by only 0.12 points.

Toshiro felt his heart sink a little but Rangiku's reaction did the opposite. Down in the competitor's area, her hands flew to her mouth and eyes lit up with shock, but also happiness.

"Second place, a silver medal, and a new personal best score," the commentator announced proudly as Rangiku and Yachiru hugged each other, crying freely. "Rangiku Matsumoto from Australia will hand over her golden crown to Yachiru Zaraki today but you best believe the game is far from over with the world championships just around the corner."

Rangiku was doing a little dance as she made her way to meet Isshin and the media before her medal ceremony, a dance that was very similar to the one she would do with Toshiro in inconvenient and often embarrassing places, such as the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The moments between the competition and the medal ceremony were joyous and relaxed, then tension of competition fading now it was over. Yachiru and Rangiku were interviewed briefly on the big screens and in between, highlights of the competition played to empowering gym music. Karin went back to talking about soccer and Sam Kerr while Toshiro listened half-heartedly while his thoughts went elsewhere.

Seeing Rangiku take silver and be happy about it was hitting a strange inspiration-inducing nerve in Toshiro's brain. He had lost focus and hope during the slopestyle, and it had been a disaster, even before he crashed. He had lost sight of why he was here and what he was doing, but tomorrow, when it was his time in the halfpipe, he would be bringing his A-game. He loved coming up the mountain and he loved competing. He loved being coached by Isshin and training alongside Rangiku. He loved that his biggest competitors were also his friends. He loved snowboarding and he was damn good at it. Just one month ago he took gold at the X-Games, and he would be damned if he wasn't going to give it his best shot now. And if he didn't win, if he ended up watching from the crowd as Ikkaku took the gold while he walked away without a medal, he could be happy with that too, but only if he knew he gave it his absolute best shot.

Tomorrow he would be giving it his best shot.

The medal ceremony got underway and the girls couldn't stop giggling the whole way through it. Honestly, it was like they were children. Yachiru was still young but Rangiku was a full grown woman, yet she was the more giggly of the two. They got their medals and Rangiku was still taller than Yachiru even from a podium step down, the New Zealand national anthem played – Toshiro was very familiar with it after Ikkaku's numerous wins – and they held up their respective flags.

It was nice to see the two similar flags being raised, both with the Southern Cross stamped across them, sister nations and sisters in arms.

At the end, Rangiku and Yachiru hopped off and scurried away with linked arms, and if Toshiro knew them at all he suspected they were up to no good, undoubtedly planning their celebrations for the evening.

Yoruichi, Toshiro and Karin filed out of their seats with the crowd, but unlike everyone else heading straight for the chairlifts back down the mountain, they headed towards the athletes area to congratulate their friend and Isshin too, coach of today's silver medallist.

Catching glimpse of Rangiku, Toshiro grinned and waved and began to push ahead to see her when something grabbed his arm. Karin pulled him back and Toshiro turned to her and frowned.

"What?" he asked, his frown deepening at her shocked stare past him.

He followed her sight and then he saw it – saw her – _Rukia._

Teal irises met violet, the Irish woman stared at him like a deer caught in headlights while Gin stood cautiously next to her.

Toshiro went to open his mouth, but what to say, he didn't know, and it didn't matter because in a flash Rukia was gone. Turning and disappearing into the crowd quickly, the raven haired beauty vanished without a word and Toshiro was left staring after her.

A beat or several passed and no one moved or said anything. Toshiro didn't know how to process that and he definitely didn't want to go down the dangerous and never-ending spiral of overthinking while he tried to decipher it, so he broke from his frozen stare and turned back to Rangiku, the now double-silver medallist much closer than where he left her.

"Congratulations!" he blurted out, his tone quickly catching up to portray excitement and steer the conversation where it should be – on Rangiku's win.

Karin quickly cottoned on.

"Two silver medals in three days," she smirked. "Bitch, you slayed today!"

"Yas Queen," Rangiku grinned back and clicked her fingers with heavy sass, thankfully also ignoring Rukia's sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance and Toshiro got to roll his eyes at the girls' choice of language.

He tried to shake the idea of Rukia coming up to watch Rangiku's finals, and the reason behind it. Had it been for Gin's company, or to support Rangiku? Had it been for Toshiro? The white haired snowboarder shook the thoughts off again; he had just recommitted himself to his competition tomorrow, and he was about to go off the rails again for a beautiful girl, even if she did have his heart wrapped around her finger. Snowboarding, that what he needed to focus on, one more day and then he could go after Rukia one last time.

_Snowboarding._

And his best friend in the whole wide world, who had just taken a silver in the Olympic half pipe competition. It was her day, no one else's.

So he celebrated with Rangiku, not sparing Rukia another thought for now. Rangiku got Gin to take a pictures of her and her shiny new bling and in doing so, Toshiro got to see a flash of Gin's future as a 'boyfriend of Instagram' as the silver medallist made him take a hundred photos in order to get the perfect one. Eventually, they had it and Rangiku approved it for 'the Gram'. Karin also managed to snap a cute candid picture of Toshiro and Rangiku embracing, her silver medal showing up beautifully from where it hung around her neck. The photo had Rangiku-approved lighting, was at a Rangiku-approved approved angle ("because I'm a hashtag 'no filter' type of girl") and as soon as he had a Rangiku-approved caption, Toshiro uploaded it to his own Instagram.

** Toshhiba, 13:47pm**  
_Second on the podium but first in our hearts (Australian flag) (silver medal) #longlivethequeen_

It was quite clearly a Rangiku-written comment and he was sure his long-time fans would recognise that but even if they didn't, he didn't mind. He hadn't posted since before everything with Rukia went tits up, and certainly not since the crash. His fans needed to see he was okay, because tomorrow was a big day and the more people believing in him, the better.

"Your go tomorrow," Isshin murmured as they headed down the chairlift together. "How are you feeling about it?"

"Good," Toshiro exhaled deeply.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Toshiro nodded. "I know you're proud of me, and I know I don't need a medal to change that. I just want to do my best tomorrow, and know it."

"That's good," Isshin smiled softly down at him. "It will be better when I know you're proud of yourself though."

"I'm getting there," Toshiro returned with a half-smile. "Maybe tomorrow."

Isshin seemed for the most part satisfied with that answer and the two of them enjoyed the rest of their peaceful ride down to the bottom of the mountain where they would undoubtedly be swept up in Rangiku's celebration before Yuzu's skating gala in a few hours' time.

…

Rangiku's double silver medal celebration went about exactly as Toshiro imagined it would. Alcohol – lots of it – and dancing. Toshiro had steered clear of a lot of the drinks, nursing his iced water for hours, the hangover from the other night still painfully fresh in his mind. Rangiku didn't mind his lack of drinking but it was clear she wasn't following his lead in the slightest. She danced on tables, forcing Gin and Yachiru up to dance with her. Toshiro had managed to steer clear of that too, favouring keeping a reluctantly sober Karin company on the couches in the corner. They still had Yuzu's Gala Skate performance to go to, so the dark haired twin was ordered to keep it together by their father so she could support her sister in her final Olympics performance.

Now, as he and Karin made their way down to the arena, Toshiro himself was somewhat wishing he was going into that particular event drunk too, even at the risk of another brutal hangover, but alas he had his halfpipe finals tomorrow and a sister he vowed to support. He really only wanted to drink because he knew that Rukia would be there, and that he was in no way ready to see her smiling and waving to the audience like nothing had happened. Seeing her that morning after Rangiku's medal ceremony, for the whole three seconds before she ran away, had Toshiro reeling and dwelling on it far more that he wanted to, or even told himself he was allowed to.

He couldn't ignore though. She had been there, full well knowing he would have been there too. According to Rangiku, Yuzu and Gin had reported that Rukia had been very upset upon seeing his accident the day before, implying she was shaken by him being hurt, implying further that she still cared for him. Coming up the mountain for Rangiku's event surely then couldn't have been just to support her new Australian girl friend? Had she come up to see Toshiro? And if she had, why did she run away the second she saw him?

Toshiro sighed deeply, his breath coming out in a cloud.

"What are you sighing about now?" Karin grumbled, her arms wrapped around herself as they walked through the bitterly cold St Moritz streets.

The dark haired twin was sober and cold, and definitely grumpy about it.

"Nothing," Toshiro chuckled. "Cheer up, would you? You're hanging out with me."

"No, I'm hanging out with a lovesick fool," Karin muttered with an eye roll and Toshiro pouted; was it that obvious?

Throwing an arm over Karin's shoulders and pulling her close as they walked down the hill, he kissed the top of her hair.

"You're right," he smirked. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about Sam Kerr."

Karin's next eye roll was the most suffering he had ever seen but thankfully it earned him a small scoff and a delayed chuckle. She even held back on whatever biting Rukia comment she had on tongue.

"You're an idiot," she elbowed him, "but I love you."

"Wow Sis," Toshiro laughed, "I love you too."

They reached the arena and met up with the rest of their family up in the stands. Isshin had Toshiro and Rangiku's Australian flag and had hung it over the railing. Yuzu and Jinta hadn't won a medal but had placed higher than any other Australian pairs team to date, and the Shiba clan was beyond proud of their little princess.

While they waited for the performances to get underway, Toshiro filled them in on the gossip from Rangiku's little party, the drinking and table dancing and what not, and how at one point she was trying to be Yachiru's wing-woman. There was a young snowboard cross rider from America that she had her eye on and Toshiro didn't want to be there when Kenpachi heard about that.

"Sounds like she's celebrating in true Rangiku fashion," Yoruichi commented with a sly smirk.

"What are you saying about me?" a voice called, loud and feminine and Toshiro turned his head to see Rangiku and Gin hand in hand coming up the stairs to their seats.

"We're talking about you, not to you," Toshiro smirked, earning himself a pinched cheek.

"Of course you are," Rangiku flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I'm so amazing, why would you want to talk about anything else?"

Gin's expression was one of 'yeah, that's true' and Toshiro rolled his eyes as they sat together and snuggled up under Rangiku's new shawl. Ichigo and Renji soon arrived, and even Soifon turned up and sat with the Australian crew. IreAussie lived on, Toshiro supposed, even despite his and Rukia's falling out. It was nice though, and he was glad the other Irish-Australian relationships in the group hadn't been impacted by the drama. In fact, Rangiku and Gin looked closer than ever, as did Ichigo and Renji. Even Soifon looked happy to be there as she joked around with Yoruichi, teasing Renji and Ichigo.

It was nice to watch and it made Toshiro smile, though the smile was partially saddened by the fact he was without his Irish half and he didn't know if he would ever get to be with her again.

Thankfully he didn't get to dwell on that too long before the Gala got underway.

Immediately it was clear that a new tone was set for the evening. Unlike the stiff tension filling the arena during the competitive rounds, the Gala Skate oozed with fun and excitement. The harsh lighting was gone as the arena blacked out, and a spotlight shone down on the first skater, the Korean bronze medallist in the men's individual skate.

The man was totally relaxed in his performance, completely at ease and enjoying the moment. He hyped up the crowd and even from where he was sitting Toshiro could see the swooning fangirls in the front row. It was actually a lot of fun.

Yuzu and Jinta were up next, and the IreAussie clan were up on their feet cheering madly. Yuzu looked beautiful, in a light pink dress, her iconic pigtails replaced with soft curls and glittery clips holding her hair off her face. If she had been wearing white, she could have Masaki on her wedding day.

Immediately the lights changed to soft pinks and the music started. '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes started to play over the speakers and the Shibas all shared a collective grin. Yuzu's favourite movie of all time was Dirty Dancing and now she was going to dance it on ice in front of millions, with the pressure of the competition completely erased.

Of course, she nailed it. Both she and Jinta looked spectacular, with a grace he had seen them develop over their years of training. They were in perfect synchronisation, like they were magnets feeding off each other's push and pull. It was incredibly beautiful to watch, and at the end they even managed the iconic – though slightly modified for the ice – lift from the movie. It was worth a standing ovation and they got one. Well worth more than eighth place. They were young though and in fours year time, maybe they could medal then.

The woman that had come fourth in the individual skates was up after them, but Toshiro missed the second half of her performance when Yuzu and Jinta found the IreAussie group, clearly forgoing the relaxation period before the group performance.

"We want to watch the show with you guys!" Yuzu exclaimed, climbing over Rangiku and Gin to slip in the spare seat beside Ichigo and Renji.

She and Jinta had swapped their skates for trainers and donned their Team Australia jackets, but otherwise were still in full costume, hair and makeup. Jinta slipped in beside Gin, and Kukaku trailing after them with their bags, made Toshiro and Karin move over so they could effectively share two seats between the three of them. Was it uncomfortable? Yes it was, but it was nice having everyone sitting all cosy and happy together.

"We have to go back down for the group performance at the end," Kukaku told them, "so we won't be here long."

More and more performances went by, and Toshiro grew more unsettled. Any second now, Rukia would be called up for hers and he wasn't sure he was ready. He didn't want to watch it; he didn't even want to be there in the arena any more.

And then it was time. Rukia's name was announced and the Irish woman skated into the centre of the rink, waving and smiling to the crowd that was going crazy for her. Cleary her history making jump was still in the forefront of many minds, but to Toshiro, that seemed like a lifetime ago now. He felt a few of his family members give him a bit of a side glance to gauge his reaction but Toshiro sat still, willing himself to just tune out and get through it.

He couldn't tune out. He zeroed in on her, trying to read her smile and her eyes to gauge if it was real, or if she was hiding the same pain as him behind them. It was hard to tell – her show smile wasn't the same as her authentic one, and it hid far more secrets.

Toshiro suddenly wondered if she had smile authentically with the man in her Instagram picture, wondered if she had made the same sounds she had with him, if she had looked into his eyes as she came.

It was suddenly too much of a thought to have and the white haired snowboarder shot out of his seat and down the stairs, hearing only the first two bars of Rukia's performance song start before he was completely out of earshot and definitely out of sight.

Blood pounded in his ears but he made it to the concession stand that was relatively empty, as one would expect when everyone in the audience was out watching the famous Rukia Kuchiki perform. He had to spend his life savings but he bought a bottle of water and quickly sat down, feeling the wave of nausea slowly recede. He couldn't believe it but he was literally physically lovesick right now.

Oh how Karin would laugh… or roll her eyes in vague annoyance.

He clenched his eyes and pressed the chilled water bottle to his forehead. He was half embarrassed for his own reaction, half ashamed of himself for buying a plastic bottle, even if it did have the recycle symbol on the side.

He opened his eyes quickly when he felt someone sit beside him and a soft hand on the back of his neck.

"You're missing her performance," Toshiro said, voice thicker than he wished it was.

"I saw it in practice," Yuzu murmured. "She's doing an old gala routine of her brother's. She's dedicating it to him."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Yuzu nodded. "Apparently we're not the only brother-sister duo that had drifted apart."

Toshiro managed a choked chuckle, though it wasn't really funny, he just didn't know how else to respond. Rukia and Byakuya's relationship was well-damaged he knew, and he really hoped they could fix it, but it hurt him to think about it. Byakuya had said such horrible things about her, and about them as a couple. He was the catalyst for their falling out, but he wasn't entirely to blame. Toshiro had put Rukia on the spot. Rukia couldn't choke out even two words for him.

Blame could fairly rest on all three of them. Still, if Toshiro couldn't repair his relationship with Rukia, he hoped she could at least fix things with her brother, just as Toshiro had been doing with his own family – not that his relationships had been anywhere near as strained (though maybe closer with Ichigo).

"I saw that picture she put on Instagram," Yuzu informed him, her voice gentle but sad. "I was so angry. I lost so much respect for her in that moment."

"I didn't want for that to happen," Toshiro said quickly, feeling guilt seep into his bones.

This was why Yuzu had been so confronted when he and Rukia first hooked up; it's her idol getting too close to home and the risk of seeing her in a light that maybe wasn't so fabulous. Toshiro should have stayed away when he found out, he should have let Yuzu have her idol and kept out of it.

"But then I saw her reaction to your crash yesterday," Yuzu continued, ignoring Toshiro's comment, "and that was so real, much more real than that stupid photo."

Toshiro didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't seen Rukia's reaction, he hadn't even spoken to her so he didn't know where her head was about the whole thing. The only thing he had seen was her Instagram post and that had broken him.

"I'm still angry about the picture," Yuzu sighed, "but I spoke to her about it."

"_You what?"_

"She said she was sorry."

Toshiro stilled for a moment before he slowly leaned back in the plastic chair.

"Sorry she slept with someone else," he muttered, "or sorry she hurt you with that post?"

"Sorry she hurt _you."_

Toshiro shook his head and looked away. Anger bubbled up in him; that meant nothing to him if she couldn't say it to his face.

"I think she wants to talk to you about it," Yuzu told him, her eyes sweeping over his face, "I know she tried this morning at Ran's final but-"

"Tried," Toshiro laughed. "She saw me and ran."

"Baby steps?" Yuzu offered.

"We're here for three more days," Toshiro pointed out. "We don't have time for baby steps."

"Then meet her half way," Yuzu encouraged him, her smile emerging.

"We'll see," Toshiro murmured, unconvinced; he still had his finals to get through and he would be damned if he let personal drama stop him from getting on that podium.

If he didn't medal, he wanted it to because there were three better competitors than him, not because he had his head in the clouds with a girl that might never love him back.

"Yuzu," Kukaku's voice called and they turned to see their aunt and Jinta standing not too far off. "Group performance, let's go."

Yuzu nodded quickly to her coach and she and Toshiro stood from their chairs.

"Are you going back in there?" Yuzu asked. "Rukia is performing with us."

"Yeah, I guess," Toshiro shrugged, frown setting in. Maybe it would be easier to see Rukia when she was in amongst a big group. Maybe it wouldn't. Either way, he didn't want to miss Yuzu's last performance of her first Olympics.

Yuzu nodded and turned to leave but paused after a few steps. When she turned back to face him, her expression was slightly off; she looked torn and Toshiro waited.

"Rukia didn't sleep with that guy," Yuzu said carefully. "She couldn't go through with it."

Toshiro stared, unsure how to process that news.

"But the picture?" he asked, voice small.

Yuzu shrugged but her expression was bitter, "I think she was mad at you, and wanted to hurt you."

Well, she did a good job. Toshiro managed to keep that off his tongue but the thought was there.

"Whatever happens with you two," Yuzu murmured, "you should know you changed her. She's not that same person, and she's better for it."

That left Toshiro speechless and when it was clear he wasn't going to respond, Yuzu shot him a small smile before she trailed after her aunt/coach and skating partner/boyfriend.

Feeling oddly fuzzy, Toshiro sighed and made his way back into the stands and up to where his family were sitting.

"You okay?" Rangiku mouthed when she clocked his return and Toshiro felt his family turn to him. He nodded and quickly sat down as the male gold medallist finished his gala performance.

He didn't know what to make of the news that Rukia had never actually slept with the man in her picture. On one hand it was a major relief, and it gave him hope that she still held feelings for him, but the idea she had posted that picture just to hurt him really upset him. He understood she was angry at what had happened but so was he and hadn't considered doing anything like that.

He had to speak with her about it, there was no more denying that. He needed to know where he stood with her, he needed to know where her head was at.

But he needed to get tomorrow out of the way first, he had to give it his all in the halfpipe.

The group performance was announced, the final performance of the evening and the second the music started, the second Toshiro felt like crying. _Just why?_

'This is Me' from the Greatest Showman started and the Ice Dance pairs flew onto the ice. It was the same musical which 'Rewrite the Stars' – or the song that Rukia and Toshiro had been forced to sing together at karaoke – came from. He remembered it so clearly; it was the moment he had fallen for her, the moment he had become so utterly and shamefully smitten with the Irish beauty.

Toshiro tried to focus on Yuzu when the Figure Skating pairs came on and it lasted for exactly thirty seconds when the individual ladies took to the ice and Toshiro's eyes immediately fell on Rukia.

Even from up in the stands he could see the violet of her wide eyes, and he felt all the feelings he had felt that night singing with her come flooding back. In school, music was how he expressed himself, how he got all the bottled up bullshit from home out of his system enough not to explode. He held a special connection with music and the relationships he made through it. He also remembered songs from special occasions.

Like the one he had sung to Rukia during the karaoke session. Like the songs they had danced to on their first date. Like the songs he had seen her perform to. He remembered, because he remembered how he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had seen. He thought that time and time again and tonight, looking down at her skating to that same soundtrack they had sung to, those same thoughts were swirling around his head.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

He still cared for her.

He still wanted her, more than anyone or anything else.

More than he wanted a gold medal, if he was being honest.

Still, he didn't really know how she felt. He was going off the words of other people, but if they were right, maybe she did still want him.

It was a lot to process, and honestly Toshiro missed most of the group performance because he was so lost in his thoughts and staring into Rukia's distant eyes.

Tomorrow, he would talk to her. After he had slept on it and after his finals, when his head was a fraction clearer than it was now, and when he had one less pressure on his shoulders.

He wouldn't be leaving St Moritz without hearing her voice, and he wouldn't be leaving without knowing for sure whether or not they could have a future together.

He had to know for sure, because he could go through the rest of his life with that regret if he never found out.

It was settled. Tomorrow – Toshiro, Rukia and a probably very uncomfortable conversation, but it was happening. It had to.

Thankfully nobody brought up Rukia when the performance ended or mentioned her on the walk back to the hotel. Gin and Rangiku disappeared, while Renji, Ichigo, Yoruichi, Karin and Soifon headed out for a drink.

Yuzu was tired and Jinta piggy backed her up the hill to the athlete's village. Kukaku and Isshin chatted quietly as Toshiro walked back with them, feeling his father's hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, but whether that gesture was about Rukia or tomorrow's finals, or even both, Toshiro didn't know and didn't feel the need to ask.

They made it back to the hotel and up to their floor.

"Have a good sleep tonight, Kid," Isshin patted him on the back. "I'll come get you in the morning, and we'll go get breakfast, just you and me."

Toshiro nodded tiredly, his head beginning to ache from all the thoughts and exhaustion of the day. "Sounds good."

Isshin smiled and patted him on the back before he turned and left, Toshiro exhaling deeply as he entered his hotel room.

He showered quickly, plugged his phone in and slipped into bed. He didn't look at any social media or watch any Netflix, but he did dig around his drawer until he found his mother's book.

'Going For Gold' by Masaki Kurosaki.

Toshiro smiled at it, his finger tracing the cover delicately. He ran his finger over her smiling face.

"I hope you'll be with me tomorrow," he murmured. "Night, Mum."

Honestly he didn't think he'd miss that ridiculous poster his father kept at home but he did, especially now.

Hopefully tomorrow he would know how it felt to have a gold medal, just like his mother had.

…

Toshiro woke up early the morning of his halfpipe finals. As promised, Isshin met him outside his room and the father and son duo headed down to the canteen for an early breakfast, just the two of them.

"How's your head?" Isshin asked, tilting his face in concern and reaching out to feel the back of Toshiro's head before waiting for an answer.

Toshiro let him; it was better that he just went along with his father's doting for the most part, otherwise his coach might think he was hiding some secret concussion-related pain if he kept brushing him off.

"It's fine," Toshiro told the older man. "It was a bit sore yesterday morning, but hasn't hurt at all since."

Isshin retracted his hand and flashed his son a small smile.

"I'm glad," he murmured with a small exhale.

Toshiro saw the way his father sighed in relief and dragged his hand through his own hair. He was getting older now, Toshiro could see the grey hairs starting to emerge amongst the stark black, and he was tired, that much was clear. The snowboarder felt a twinge of guilt tugging at his gut; he knew it was largely his fault, the events of the last few days had certainly had his father engulfed in worry. The Olympics was a stressful experience on their own, but with all the drama that had plagued the family, namely Toshiro, it was no wonder it was taking a physical impact on the family's patriarch.

"I'm sorry for all the drama the last few days, Dad," Toshiro murmured. "I know it's been hard you and the family."

"It's okay," Isshin sat back in his chair, dark brown eyes regarding Toshiro carefully. "It wasn't your fault."

"It was a little bit my fault," Toshiro sighed, a slight tug at his lips.

Isshin's smirked a little too, matching his son. Where they both found the humour, Toshiro didn't know, but he was glad for it.

"Perhaps next Winter Olympics will be a smoother run?" Isshin offered. "Maybe we'll even get through it without a trip to the Emergency Room?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Toshiro joked and Isshin rolled his eyes before jabbing a finger at Toshiro.

"No more of that talk," he said strictly, "and eat your breakfast."

Chuckling, Toshiro dug his spoon back into his cereal and scooped it into his mouth.

At least his father still seemed up to coaching him for another four years to make it to the next Olympics. Despite his age and well-tired body, Isshin was made to be on the slopes, coaching young professional athletes to glory. Just look what he did with Rangiku – the woman walked away with a gold and a silver at her first Olympics at age twenty one, and four years on was still the most successful woman in her sport.

For Toshiro to make it to the next Olympics too, it would greatly depend on whether or not he could look after his body enough to get through the next four seasons without injury. Rangiku too, who would likely be looking at the next Olympics as her last, though if Toshiro knew her at all he knew she would push for a fourth Olympics, even she was thirty three at that point and with a gaggle of children – Gin's children if she had her way.

"The whole family is coming to watch you today," Isshin informed him.

That was the first time his whole family had planned to come watch anything of his. Toshiro was both excited about this, and nervous to the point of feeling sick.

Gods he didn't want to let them down today.

"You're going to great," Isshin assured him, likely prompted by Toshiro's queasy smile. "No one else in that field can do what you can do in the halfpipe."

Toshiro scoffed instantly.

"Ikkaku can," he laughed, "and he gets the height. Plus Hanataro is a little machine."

"They don't have your passion," Isshin countered, "or the technique… or your secret weapon."

The secret weapon that wasn't supposed to be used until Worlds next month if at all

Toshiro frowned and leaned back in his chair, "I beg to differ, Dad."

Ikkaku was the fan favourite, especially after taking the gold at the last Olympics. Still, after Toshiro's win at the X Games last month, his popularity had shot up. None of that should have meant anything to the Olympic judges, but it did. It should come down to performance on the day alone and that was certainly the party line, but everyone in the sport knew popularity and reputation would factor into it. The judges had decided in their heads already where the field would finish, and only a seriously big moment would shift that, such as choking on the third run and crashing badly into the ice. Toshiro wondered, if he hadn't fucked up and had performed at his usual standard, where he would have ended up on the Slopestyle leader board.

Isshin shrugged and went about finishing his breakfast while Toshiro picked at his, mind going through his run time and time again. He noticed his father starting to smirk when he start to unconsciously turn his body at the table, and pretend to grab at his board.

"Come on," Isshin murmured, standing up and stretching his back. "We better get up there."

Toshiro glanced at his watch and blanched; no more putting it off – it was go time, his first ever Olympic halfpipe final.

Standing up on suddenly weak and shaky legs, Toshiro followed his coach out of the canteen and back to the rooms to collect his gear.

He was almost too nervous to speak but he managed to say a quick 'thanks' to Ichigo's 'good luck' before he all but fell out the room, board and helmet tucked under his arm and goggles tangled around his wrist, Team Australia jacket thrown haphazardly over his shoulder.

Isshin was quick to come and help him, all the while muttering about how Karin was fired from her 'coach's assistant' position given the girl was currently sleeping off another hangover. Once sorted the two Shiba men set off down the hallway but were greeted with quite the surprise. Gin and Rangiku, kissing in the doorway of her room, Rangiku in nothing but Gin's Team Ireland hoodie and the tall Scotsman looking entirely dishevelled. It was clear he had spent the night and Toshiro grimaced, knowing he was going to hear all the disgusting details of their romantic escapade through his best friend later.

Considerate as ever, or really just trying to avoid that conversation, Toshiro and Isshin shared a look before sneaking past the pair. They were still kissing when the elevator dinged and they weren't the slightest bit fazed by.

"That's so gross," Toshiro muttered when the elevator doors closed and they were descending back down to the lobby.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black, Kid," Isshin laughed, reminding the snowboarder instantly of when his father had seen him and Rukia in that exact situation not that long ago.

Toshiro groaned at the memory; he wasn't sure what he was more nervous about – his finals or talking to Rukia as he had promised everyone he would after his event.

Despite his wishes, time would not stop for him. Instead, he and Isshin continued their way out of the hotel, through the athletes' village and up the mountain. Seeing the lips of the halfpipe from the chairlift did not quell Toshiro's nervousness, but it did spark a bit of excitement. He realised he was more excited to be back on the snow, with his father by his side and without the family drama hanging over his head, than he was nervous to be competing. Toshiro loved competing! Of course, this was the Olympics and there was a much higher pressure but Toshiro thrived on the adrenaline of it, he just needed to be reminded of that! The mountain was his lady and he was going to impress her today.

They were early; when they entered the competitors' area there were only two other competitors warming up – one of them being Hanataro and the other a German snowboarder who was new on the scene. Toshiro popped in his headphones and began going through his normal warm up exercises, preferring to zone the world out for a moment. It worked, calming him down and leaving him actually kind of pumped for the event. Even seeing Ikkaku was like seeing him on a normal day when they were friends, not at the finals events where they regarded each other with caution.

"Hey!" Ikkaku called out to him, hand raised in a wave. "You survived!"

Toshiro laughed. "It's going to take more than a crash like that to take me down."

"Bloody oath," Ikkaku smirked, impersonating the Australian accent.

Ikkaku's favourite sport wasn't snowboarding, it was bashing Australian culture but Toshiro wasn't afraid to throw back some sarcastic New Zealand jibes when it was called for.

The bald kiwi's eyes glinted with cheekiness before he stretched a hand out to Toshiro, the white haired Australian taking it firmly.

"Good luck out there," Toshiro smirked. "You're going to need it."

"I don't doubt that," Isshin said, voice serious for a moment before he flicked back to his normal menacing self. "Try to land upright this time, okay?"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "What, were you worried about me or something?"

"Nah but Yumichika wouldn't stop moaning," Ikkaku rolled his eyes. "He was worried you'd need surgery and would 'come out ugly'."

Smirking, Toshiro pictured the scene and wouldn't have been surprised if it were true. Of course, he doubted Yumichika had time for much worrying when he was busy celebrating his gold in the middle of the canteen with that American dude.

"I said it was too late," Ikkaku continued with a shrug, "and that surgery could only improve your looks at this point."

Toshiro laughed harder and pushed the bald man away.

"Fuck off."

"I'll see you out there, Shiba," Ikkaku smirked before being dragged away by a less humoured Kenpachi Zaraki.

Toshiro smirked and went back to his warm up routine. He had time to briefly check his phone beforehand and found that he had received a number of good luck texts from Ganju, Yukio and other friends at home. Fans too were flocking to wish him a good – and safe – competition through Instagram. Rangiku had even sent a picture of her and his family in the crowds, all of them with their Team Australia merchandise and face paint, their flags and signs. He laughed at the picture but it was also a sad reminder of Rukia – they were doing what he had done organised for them to do for her finals, except this time most of Team Ireland wasn't there. Renji was in the picture, sitting next to Ichigo but the rest weren't.

No drama today, he reminded himself strictly before his thoughts could wander.

"Ready?" Isshin asked, reappearing with Toshiro's competition bib.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Toshiro nodded firmly, his coach clapping him on the back in response.

They watched on the screens in the competitors area as the first of the three runs got underway. Toshiro was positioned to go last – his score had ended up beating Ikkaku's during the heats, and he also suspected he was going to be getting a lot of media attention after that crash. He wouldn't have put it past the Olympic officials to place him strategically last, even if he hadn't won the heats.

The first run started with the relatively unknown rider from Germany, and the crowd was electric. The German scored well with some clean 1080s and a 1260 thrown in – it was a tremendous start and gave a clear benchmark for the rest of the field.

Eleven riders to go and Toshiro watched each one of them with his jaw dropped. It was a tremendous field, and everyone was well on the ball. Oddly enough, it didn't make Toshiro feel that nervous watching his competition scoring well, if anything it made him even more excited. It reminded him of when Isshin took him to watch his very first live halfpipe competition down in Mt Buller. It had been one of the best days of Toshiro's young life and he remembered how he had dreamed of being the one shooting through the pipe and now it was finally happening on an Olympic stage.

His dream came true – as a kid he had never cared about a medal, he just wanted to compete. It was time to slip back into that mindset and give the best performance he could.

Riders from the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland followed. Eventually Hanataro was up – one of the top three contenders for the gold. Toshiro shot him a smile and thumbs up before the kid left for the starting point. He looked so nervous; Toshiro genuinely hoped the Japanese boy wouldn't have a crash like he did in the heats.

Hanataro was given the green light and shot into the halfpipe. His first trick was a massive front side air; Toshiro gasped seeing the height the small statured rider got, easily twelve feet! Then he followed that with perfectly executed back to back double corked 1260s and a backside double cork 1080. He was phenomenal!

To cap it off, he followed it with his signature double corked 1440.

"He was amazing!" Toshiro breathed and Isshin nodded, eyes fixed on the screen.

"Shit," was Ikkaku's response as the bald man grimaced before his coach dragged him off to the starting point for his first run.

"Wow," Isshin murmured when Hanataro's score of 92.13 was announced and Toshiro gave a low whistle.

That was the Japanese rider's first run of the day and clearly he was taking a no holds barred approach. Given it would be the best of three runs that defined his overall score, Toshiro supposed it was smart to not waste a single run in case he had an accident on the last run.

Ikkaku was up next and Toshiro bit his lip, waiting to see if the man would pull out all his tricks in the first run like Hanataro or hold off like he normally did.

New Zealand's star rider flew into the pipe with such ferocity Toshiro's eyes almost popped out his head.

Back to back 1440s as he had done at the X-Games, followed by a massive method air and then two very stylish McTwists.

It was a beautiful run but Toshiro knew when he saw Ikkaku's cheeky smile at the end that these weren't his best tricks and that they would have to wait until his third and final run to see them. Now that made Toshiro nervous.

After his first run, Ikkaku scored 90.86, and was in second place to Hanataro.

"Come on," Isshin murmured, tugging Toshiro's arm. "Let's go show them how the Aussies do it."

Toshiro scoffed and rolled his eyes; hopefully that wasn't what people thought after his shocking slopestyle performance.

Standing at the top of the halfpipe, Toshiro looked down into the pipe and exhaled. This was the moment he had been waiting his whole life for. He could see and hear the crowds, he could see the Australian flags flying wildly and there were so many that Toshiro couldn't pinpoint which group was his family, but he knew they were out there and likely causing the most raucous. It warmed his heart so much he couldn't believe it. For the first time, he felt supported by everyone in his family.

Toshiro decided then that he would perform for them today, not for a medal or his sponsors or anyone else. He wanted to thank his family for dealing with the drama of the last few days and for coming out to watch him today. He wanted to show them what he could do and that he was worth something.

"First run tricks," Isshin reminded him gently – they would not be pulling a Hanataro today – and clapped his hand on Toshiro's shoulder before stepping away. "Focus on Hyorinmaru."

It had been a long time since Toshiro had focused on the dragon beneath his board, and that was probably a part of why he had lost concentration during his slopestyle runs. His mind was everywhere it shouldn't have been it – he should have just been him and his board, nothing else. This time he wouldn't make that mistake – For the next three runs, Hyorinmaru wasn't just a board strapped to his legs, it was a physical part of his body; they were one and he needed to know that so he didn't clip the edge and be thrown head-first into the hard packed snow like two days ago.

The green light was given and Toshiro smirked – _Yes!_

He slid around the edge before dipping into the pipe, straight in and straight back out with a front side double corked 1260 and he immediately followed it up with the backside version. He shot up a third time and executed a stylish sky hook – mostly seen in the skateboarding circuit but it looked even cooler on the snow, Toshiro thought. To finish, another double corked twelve and then a switch backside double corked 1080.

The last trick was a lesser version of the one he had been practicing with his father on the slopes not that long ago. It wasn't worth anywhere near as much as the 1260 version that had never been done in competition and the one he was hoping to have down by Worlds next month. Still, it was a good trick and a nice way to finish off his heat.

Toshiro ripped off his goggles grinning – that was a good run, a really good run! Not first place material but a fantastic start.

High fiving an impressed Ikkaku on the way past, Toshiro unclipped his board and made his way to the scoring area, the cameras zooming in on his face as they played the replay. Toshiro watched and smiled; it had been a clean run with very little faults. It was clearly well practiced and he hoped the judges saw that.

He was scored 90.84, 0.02 behind Ikkaku and in third place.

Toshiro jumped with excitement and quickly rushed back to his father at the top of the slope. Isshin was waiting with open arms and Toshiro shot right into them.

"Fantastic run, Kid!" Isshin gushed and Toshiro grinned.

"I scored in the nineties, Dad!" Toshiro exclaimed. "In the fucking Olympics finals!"

Isshin laughed and didn't even scold him for his inappropriate language.

"It's not over yet, Son," Isshin reminded him but Toshiro didn't really care.

Even if that score was the best he got today, even if it wasn't enough to win him a medal by the end of the third run, Toshiro was happy with it. He had gotten further than he expected, and for the first time in his life, he was _proud of himself._

"Let's get you ready for round two, eh?" Isshin grinned, pulling away and taking Toshiro's board.

They returned to the athlete's area as the second run started.

With the first run scores finalised and a strong leadership established, Toshiro could see the pressure was on for many of the riders, and it began to seep into their performances.

The German fell on his first trick. A Swiss rider's face hit the lip of the pipe and split his lip open. Toshiro and the other riders still waiting to go gasped as they watched the footage on the screens, but it seemed the man was alright. Getting back to his feet, he stood at the scoring area with his sleeve pulled over his hand and covering the blood on his lip.

By the time Hanataro was set to go, there were only a few small changes to the lower half of the leader board and no one was yet to knock the Japanese snowboarder out of first.

Hanataro's run went exactly as the first had done, but it was even cleaner, earning him a slightly improved score of 93.49.

Ikkaku' run was up next and he pulled out some new tricks.

Again back to back 1440s executed with precision, but his method air became a double corked 1260, and then he finished with back to back double corked 1080s.

Toshiro didn't think it was enough to throw off Hanataro just yet, but the way he had done those double corked tricks with such tight turns had Toshiro curious. Had Ikkaku gone and learned the double corked 1440 that he so far hadn't managed due to his lankiness? Toshiro tilted his head as he saw the improved score of 93.02 was revealed and Ikkaku's even more menacing grin. He had an extra trick up his sleeve, that was for sure and if it was the double corked 1440, especially if he could do them back to back like Toshiro, then they might as well just pack their bags and go home.

Toshiro could never get the height Ikkaku could so if they did the same tricks, Ikkaku would score higher on height alone.

Clearly the bald man was going to pull out his hidden tricks in the final run, always wanting to go out with a bang.

Still, true to his word, Toshiro found himself not caring entirely if that was the case. If Ikkaku could do the back to back double cork 1440s then he deserved the gold more than anyone.

Toshiro was up next, the last rider of run two.

"Second run tricks," Isshin reminded him. "Focus on Hyorinmaru."

Toshiro did exactly that and immediately felt the comforting power flow through him that he came to associate with the silver dragon.

Second run – he had only one goal; perform his best for his family.

Green light and off he went, straight into the pipe. Back to back 1440s like Ikkaku and alluding to his next run which would contain the double corked versions the crowd – and his competitors – knew he was capable of. The Sky Hook again, because it gave him the style points that made him so well rounded. Capping it off, Toshiro did back to back double cork 1260s.

Again, a beautiful run, and hopefully an improved score would be his reward.

Toshiro exhaled heavily, the high altitude and sheer physicality of his performance taking its' toll on his body. He was ushered quickly to the scoring area and actually let out a small laugh when his score was revealed to be 92.60. He was still in third and he was beyond stoked about it.

He was in position to take the bronze but Toshiro didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to get excited about it and have it snatched away at the last moment. He didn't want to feel the pressure of needing that bronze. He just wanted to perform for his family and live out his childhood dream of competing at the big time.

There was a gap between the second and third heats as the Olympic officials reset themselves. Toshiro also suspected they were aiming to draw out the suspense for a while since this one of the most watched events of the games.

"We've got twenty minutes before we have to be back," Isshin informed him as his coach met him at the bottom of the slope. "Do you want to go see the family? Karin texted saying their waiting behind the stands."

"Oh yes," Toshiro grinned. He was excited to see them! Who knows, maybe it would be the inspiration he needed to get those double corked 1440s perfected in the final run.

Isshin led him out of the competition area and they ducked to avoid some media, but most of the attention was on little nervous Hanataro as the current leader of the pack. They made it around the back of the audience stands and there stood his family, all huddled together and laughing, flags, signs and face paint, just as Rangiku's picture had shown. Toshiro was even surprised to see Gin looming over everyone, smiling madly. He hadn't been in the picture but it was possible he took the picture. They turned to look at him and as more faces turned, Toshiro released much of the rest Team Australia had come out to watch his heat today, even the ones he hadn't spoken to much.

Toshiro ran towards them and Rangiku pushed Ichigo out of the way and tripped up Karin to be the first to reach him. Toshiro was engulfed instantly in her breasts but he didn't care. Immediately he felt more limbs wrap around him as he was engulfed in what he assumed was a large family group hug. It was a first and instantly made this day better than it already was. He hugged them back tightly, happier than he had felt in a long time. He only wished Rukia was here too.

Eventually they released him and not a minute too soon because Toshiro was starting to asphyxiate in Rangiku's chest valley. There were more one on one hugs and they all told him they were proud of him and he was performing well. It was another dream come true.

Then he was faced with Gin. He hadn't really seen the man since the whole barbecue incident and had to wonder where he stood. The tall snowboard cross rider grinned widely at him, before stepping out of the way, revealing Rukia, and behind her, Byakuya.

Rukia had come to his finals. More than that, she was with his family and the rest of her team, and they were all dressed in the Australian colours. She even had green and gold war stripes painted on her cheeks.

Toshiro froze and felt the eyes of everyone around him lock onto him, waiting for a reaction. His eyes flickered up to Byakuya, unable to comprehend the Australian flag temporary tattoo on his cheek, but the man said nothing and Toshiro's eyes returned to Rukia.

Rukia smiled nervously.

"You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" she asked him.

That was exactly what Isshin had said to Masaki the day he turned up with everyone to her skiing finals. It was word for word identical which Toshiro knew having read the book a million times and hearing the story from his father a million more.

Did Rukia read his mother's book? Or was it a scary coincidence?

Silence passed over the group as Toshiro processed what was happening and how he felt about it.

Suddenly Yuzu chimed in.

"Is that Beyoncé over there?!" she exclaimed, pointing past the trees lining the mountain.

"Yeah that's where Beyoncé spends her spare time," Karin snorted but she was immediately dragged off by her twin and the rest of the family who were suddenly very keen to get the singer's autograph.

It was clearly a badly organised attempt at giving Toshiro and Rukia privacy. Still, Toshiro appreciated it.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, voice soft now that they were, for the most part, alone.

Rukia seemed to hesitate for moment.

"Well, I came to see you," she answered eventually, tugging on her sleeve as she did so. "I came to say what I wanted to say at the BBQ but never got a chance too."

Toshiro stared at her, cautious expression unchanging. He didn't know if he should apologise for putting her on the spot at the barbecue or hear what she had to say first. He remembered the picture she put on Instagram with the other man wrapped around her and he remembered what Yuzu had told him about it. He decided to let her speak first.

"And what's that?" he prompted.

She took a deep breath.

"That I like you," she murmured, looking away from him, "that my feelings toward you have grown over the past two weeks and it's the first time I've ever felt like this about anyone, ever."

Heart leaping into his throat, Toshiro couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. It didn't seem real, and he had to replay it in his head a few times.

"I'm sorry I put you on the spot at the barbecue," he murmured, hoping Rukia would look at him. "I shouldn't have been so quick to assume the worst. I just… I just liked you so much, and I had all these insecurities in my mind telling me you could never like me back, even though your actions said otherwise."

As he hoped, her eyes snapped back to him, and they were as beautiful as ever.

"That's okay," she mumbled shyly. "I should have run after you, I should have called you that night to discuss things privately but..."

Rukia shook her head and Toshiro grimaced, wondering if she was thinking about the picture too.

"I'm not good at the emotional stuff. I'm so sorry Toshiro, I should never have..." Rukia continued with a sigh. "I shouldn't have run away again... I should have fought for you."

Swallowing, Toshiro looked away for a moment. He turned and saw his family standing several metres away but staring with interest. As soon as he looked at them they turned away sharply, pretending to go about their business again. Bloody sticky beaks.

He turned back to Rukia. Despite her words, he was still worried that she would tell him they couldn't continue this past the Olympics due to the distance and their sporting commitments.

"So I like you and you like me…" he repeated slowly, as if he was just putting two and two together. She had read his mother's book – he assumed – and was now doing what Isshin had done to win back Masaki, what Toshiro himself had done to try and express Rukia. "Where does that leave us now? The Olympics ends in two days."

"We'd have had more time together if I hadn't..." she seemed to murmur to herself and Toshiro shook his head, not wanting either of them to go down that road right now. He wanted to know about their future, not their past.

A small smile began to grace her features as her gaze drifted down to the Australian logo on his jacket.

"How about a bet?" she suggested, her smile becoming more of a smirk as her eyes flickered back up to his. Toshiro raised an eyebrow, remembering the bets they used to make – back when he was just vying for her attention.

"If you win gold here today, I'll come visit you in Oz?" she offered. "If you don't, then you come and visit me in Ireland?"

Toshiro couldn't help but let out a small laugh. It was the most ridiculous way to solve their problems but it made him smile anyway. It wasn't the bet so much as it was the implication that she was open to a long distance relationship.

"After Worlds?" he asked, lips stretching into a crooked smirk. They both had worlds in March so it wasn't so far away. "I hear Ireland is nice in the spring."

"It is, but I'm more sure Australia will be equally as thrilling," Rukia rolled her eyes, and Toshiro could see the tension rolling over her shoulders, "and maybe you can show me how you overcome the challenge of no snow?"

Toshiro's grin grew wider. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

Then though, Isshin returned, clearing his throat as he approached.

"We've got get back up there, Kid," he reminded his athlete and Toshiro nodded.

Turning back to Rukia, he picked her hand up and squeezed it as he brought it to his lips quickly. He knew if he kissed her lips or even tried to hug her, he probably wouldn't be able to let go. No, it would have to wait but at least he had something to look forward too, even if he didn't get this bronze he was currently up for.

"I'll see you after?" he asked, eyes turning hopeful that she would stay to watch his final run.

"I'll be here waiting," Rukia confirmed with a whisper and Toshiro smiled in relief before he nodded to her. He turned and left, waving to his family on the way out. He caught a glimpse of his family and the IreAussie crew surrounding Rukia promptly, probably for the gossip, before he was out of sight again.

They headed back up the top of the mountain for the third runs and Toshiro was practically bouncing the whole way up.

"Alright, alright," Isshin laughed and pulled Toshiro back into his side. "Keep your focus, Toshiro. You've got one more run and then you can see your girl again."

_His girl_ – Gods did he love the sound of that.

He met up with Ikkaku in the athletes' area and they watched the first nine riders go together. It seems the break between second and third runs had calmed down many of the competitors and most were performing better than they had all day on their final runs. It was better than the first run by far and it was incredible some of the performances they saw.

Still though, by the time Hanataro was up to go, the top three positions hadn't changed and Toshiro gasped realising what this meant and bloody Hell, it had snuck up on him.

_Toshiro had medalled._

He had, no matter what Ikkaku or Hanataro put down in their final run, won a _fucking _Olympic medal. The bronze was his! He could in theory boost himself up to a silver or even the gold with a good enough run but it was impossible for him to be demoted at this point.

His hand slapped over his mouth and Toshiro turned to his father, feeling emotion flood him and his eyes become annoyingly wet.

"You've won a bronze, Toshiro!" Isshin announced and Toshiro choked hearing it out loud, not helped by Ikkaku's firm pat on his back.

"Like you!" Toshiro managed, his voice doing embarrassing things.

"Like me," Isshin nodded, his grin stretched to his ears and Toshiro noticed him getting emotional too.

The white haired snowboarder stood from the bench he was sitting on and stumbled forward into his coach's arms. The hugged for a long time, long enough to miss Hanataro's final run, but Toshiro didn't care. He had a bronze medal and no one could take it from him. He was just like his father as he wanted and he had a beautiful girl waiting on the other end.

He wondered if his family were already celebrating like they had done when they knew Ichigo had medalled before the rest of the field had even finished. Toshiro was sure Rangiku would have been keeping track.

Father and son finally separated when Ikkaku was announced to go. Toshiro wanted to see what the New Zealander was going to pull out on his final run and whether it would be enough to beat Toshiro's back to back double corked 1440s (should he be able to execute his planned final run without a hitch).

"Good luck," Toshiro called out to the kiwi as he was led to the starting point.

"You too, Shiba!" Ikkaku called back and Toshiro thought he actually might have meant that.

Looking at the leader board showed Hanataro had not improved his score, but he was still sitting on first with his score from run two.

Ikkaku was next and what he did surprised everyone, even Toshiro who had suspected it.

Back to back double corked 1440s; Toshiro's trump card that was no longer his trump card but Ikkaku's. He got the height Toshiro and Hanataro couldn't dream of. He followed it up with a massive method air for style points and his back to back McTwists from the first run.

Toshiro choked out a laugh when Ikkaku skidded to the bottom of the pipe with a wild grin. He had just beaten Hanataro; there was no question about it.

"Holy shit," Toshiro laughed when the score came back as a massive 96.75.

Honestly, Toshiro didn't mind if Ikkaku was the one with gold at the end of the day. He had his bronze and he was still unable to believe it.

Toshiro and Isshin made their way to the starting point and Toshiro got himself together to go next, the final rider in the final heat.

"Bronze, eh?" Isshin spoke, hand on Toshiro's shoulder while they waited for the go ahead. "Your mum would be so proud of you."

"Yeah," Toshiro smiled out to the audience, finally locating his family and friends causing quite the havoc in the audience. "I think she'd be prouder if I was 'Going For Gold' though, don't you?"

Isshin smirked at the reference to Masaki's book title.

"Well, you've medalled now," Isshin shrugged. "No matter what happens, you've got nothing to lose this run."

"That's why I want to change the last trick," Toshiro informed his father softly, turning to him with hopeful eyes. He knew his father would know what he was asking and he wouldn't do it without his coach's blessing. It was risk, but as Isshin said, he'd already medalled and he couldn't lose that even if he completely bombed out on this run.

Isshin blinked at him in surprise but after a moment he nodded in agreement.

"Bend your knees," Isshin reminded him quietly with a pointed eyebrow. "Let the pipe find you."

Toshiro smirked back – this was it; his chance at gold but with the pressure completely gone. At the end of the day, he would walk away with a medal and that was more than he could have hoped for. If he fucked this up, he still had the bronze like his father. If he succeeded, he had the gold like his mother, or silver like his brother. Regardless, he had Rukia Kuchiki to hold tonight.

He was given the green light and Toshiro began his final run of his first ever Winter Olympics.

Straight down into the pipe and he nailed the front side double corked 1440 to wild cheers from the audience. He landed with style and grace before shooting up the opposite side of the pipe and flawlessly executing the backside version of the same trick. The audience were going mental even though it wasn't a surprise to those who had seen his X-Games run. That alone should be enough to take the silver from Hanataro as long as he didn't crash on the next three tricks.

Trick number three was the Sky Hook he had done the last three runs, but with as much flair and flavour as he could muster to get those style points.

Landing effortlessly, Toshiro shot back through the pipe for his fourth trick the front side double corked 1260.

The judges, commentators and anyone who knew his runs were likely predicting he would go for the backside double corked 1260 but this was thrown right off when Toshiro landed the fourth trick in switch position.

He was going to do the backside double corked 1260 alright, but he was going to do it in switch. It was his surprise for Worlds coming early and if he landed it, he'd be the first to do so in competition.

Blind take off – Toshiro saw nothing but the bottom of the pipe as he twisted forcefully and shot above the lip of the pipe.

"_Bend your knees,"_ his father's voice echoed in his head and Toshiro did. Curling tightly and clutching the tail of his board to get the grab in.

Three rotations, two off-axis flips.

"_Let the pipe find you."_

Blind landing – Toshiro saw nothing but the sky as he felt his board make contact with the pipe's wall again and finally he twisted back to see it as he glided down the pipe without falling.

He had landed the first ever switch backside double corked 1260 and the audience shot up out of their seats as Toshiro's arms raised themselves in victory.

He couldn't believe it!

Toshiro Shiba of Jindabyne, Australia, had just landed the impossible jump.

If that wasn't worth a gold, he wasn't sure what was.

He skidded to the end of the pipe and was immediately engulfed by the other competitors in a wild group hug. Everyone was screaming and no exact words were being said but it was glorious.

Ikkaku was leading the charge and even picked Toshiro up to swing him around, board still attached to his feet.

Eventually Toshiro was placed down and he was able to get his board off, finally making his way to the scoring area. They showed replay after replay and Toshiro couldn't believe that was him riding. It was his board, his uniform and definitely his body, but that man riding was riding in a way Toshiro never had before and honestly never believed he could.

But he ought to start believing it.

His score was revealed – 97.89. Gold.

Toshiro collapsed to his knees in shock but he was immediately picked back up by Ikkaku and thrown over the muscular Kiwi's shoulder as he ran around high fiving everyone. Anyone might have thought he'd been the one to win the gold but Toshiro thought he might have just been happy that his friend did.

From then to the medal ceremony was mostly a blur. He had media in his face, his father shaking him in disbelief and pride. He had the other competitors coming up to him and congratulating him. Toshiro even ended up in a bit of a bow-off with Hanataro as he wasn't sure who was supposed to stop bowing first (it was supposed to be Toshiro, apparently, but Hanataro was too polite to tell him).

Finally though, the medal ceremony began and Toshiro's shaky legs somehow carried him to the top step of the podium.

Hanataro was award the bronze, Ikkaku the silver and finally Toshiro the gold. The medal was heavier than he expected and he couldn't stop staring at it hanging over his chest. All three of them were given little soft toy versions of the St Moritz mascots and they held them up as the national anthem of Australia began to play out of the crackling speakers.

Never had Toshiro sung Advance Australia Fair so loudly in his life but gods he was so proud to be Australian right now. For a country not typically known for its' snow, he was somehow at the top of the podium.

He heard voices echoing the song and noticed his family and friends right up at the barrier, likely having pushed several media representatives out of the way. He saw Rangiku, practically sobbing with pride. He saw Karin shaking a stranger almost violently while yelling 'he's my brother!' He saw Yuzu screaming like she was at a Rukia Kuchiki meet and greet event. He saw Ichigo nod at him with happiness and pride instead of resentment. He saw Kukaku holding up her phone with Ganju on video call so he could watch too. He saw Byakuya holding up Gin's arm and waving it madly. He saw Rukia front and centre, smiling so widely and beautifully that he couldn't stop himself doing what he did next.

The national anthem finished and Toshiro locked eyes with Rukia, a cheeky smirk on his face. The media was watching but he didn't care; Hell the whole world was watching but he wanted them know.

"You!" he shouted, and pointed a finger at the Irish beauty, silencing many except the odd athletes who had been there that night to see it and gave a small chuckle.

He hopped off the podium and marched with determination towards the figure skater. When he reached her, her wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with such passion it made their first kiss look like awkward teenagers on their first date. Her hands slid into his hair and she kissed him back fiercely like his mouth had the oxygen she had been deprived of.

The barrier was still in between them but Toshiro lifted and pulled her over it without grace. Her legs wrapped around him and there were cheers and wolf whistles from the audience and undoubtedly every television screen in the world was showing their steamy kiss but he did not give two fucks. He had Rukia in his arms and that was all that mattered.

When they eventually separated, Toshiro closed his eyes and felt her forehead rest against his. Despite the crowds, they were the only two in the moment. The slope was bare and it was just them together.

"I guess I'll see you in Australia then," Rukia murmured, out of breath but her voice was happy.

Toshiro chuckled and kissed her again quickly before he opened his eyes and looked up into her stunning face.

"I guess so," he chuckled again.

He was then engulfed by multiple arms and chests again as his family decided they'd had their moment now. The IreAussie crew, coaches included, a bunch more of his competitors and other friends closed in on them, creating an even bigger group hug then before.

Rukia was laughing and grinning, even when they were forced to separate due to the sheer about of huggers trying to get in. Toshiro was caught with his head in Karin's unforgiving head lock and his arms held up by Ichigo, but as he looked across at Rukia who was having the life squeezed out of her by Rangiku and her cheeks pinched by Yuzu, he knew she was the happiest she had been in a long time. They both were. They had each other and they had a family – as big and annoying as that family normally was.

That was worth more than an Olympic medal any day of the week.

…

_** RukiaFansOfficial**_  
_LOOK AT THAT KISS (Shock face) (heart) #RukiShiro #IreAussie [Video Attached]_

** Toshiupdates**  
_YASSSS MY MAN WINS THE GOLD AND THE GIRL! I will never not retweet and regram this! _

** ToshiroFan1234**  
_Now I'm crying for a whole new reason! I'm so glad Toshiro is okay after his fall, and not only that but he has won the mf gold! _

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_YES THE SHIP HAS SAILED! I love that ____**Christophe-gc **__and __** VictorNikiforov**_are in on this excitement too!

** Aussie_skigirl**  
_This has literally made my day I cant-_

** icebab**  
_Aw this is the quality content I signed up for!_

** SwagItMatsumoto**  
_(heart eyes) (heart eyes) (heart eyes) I'm glad one of the besties got the gold! Toshiro and Rukia are so cute, but not as cute as my girl and Gin ;)_

** ShibaSibsAreLyf**  
_Congratulations __** Toshhiba**__ on gold! I hope you will be celebrating tonight xD_

…

**There you have it! The final Olympic event for this story! Did anyone guess who would be getting which medals correctly?**

**I hope you're all happier now that we've resolved some things ;)**

**Pretty please drop a review if you have time! It really makes a difference for us as writers to know if the story is being enjoyed :)**


	12. The Closing of the Games

Toshiro and Rukia were finally alone again.

When he closed the door to his hotel room gently behind them, he turned to see Rukia stripping off her team Ireland snow jacket, revealing the navy hoodie underneath that she had been wearing the first night they met. Their eyes met and Toshiro smiled, his arms opening for her and inviting her in.

She smiled back, almost shyly, before she moved over to him, his arms wrapping around her the second she was in reaching distance. He held her close and breathed in her familiar scent, the pressure in his chest since the barbecue finally easing off. They were reunited and Toshiro couldn't imagine ever letting go of her now.

Her body melded perfectly against his, her scent filled his brain with the happiest endorphins and his body warmed instantly at having her in his arms once more. Toshiro buried his nose in her midnight hair and sighed contently. He felt Rukia smile against his chest and he knew she was as comfortable in his hold as he was holding her.

"I didn't think they were going to let us go," Toshiro murmured, chuckling a little bit as he remembered how his family and friends had wanted to go out and celebrate his surprise halfpipe win.

It had been almost impossible to talk them out of it. Karin wanted to get drunk, Yuzu wanted to go out dancing, Renji and Jinta wanted to go get Olympic-themed tattoos, but Toshiro just wanted to take Rukia home so they could reunite properly, away from prying eyes.

Rukia laughed softly, "Thank god for Rangiku."

Toshiro groaned instantly as Rukia chuckled again. Yes Rangiku had saved them from everyone but she of course had done it in the most embarrassing way she could muster, announcing loudly to the group that they should 'leave Toshiro alone, the only thing he wants to do tonight is Rukia in the bedroom'. Honestly she was a nightmare, but he could not refute her effectiveness and now all the couples were staying in – much Karin's chagrin – and after a bit of musical hotel rooms and a few disgruntled roommates, Toshiro and Rukia had found themselves back in his room, alone at last.

Unable to resist any longer, Toshiro's finger hooked under Rukia's chin and guided her to look at him, their eyes meeting for a second before he dipped down to kiss her. Unlike the medal ceremony kiss, this one was gentle and slow. Rukia didn't fight him for control or try to heat things up, she just kissed him back with the same emotions he was pouring into it. The sadness, the regret, the fear they wouldn't fix things, and most importantly the overwhelming relief to be there with her again.

"I missed you," Toshiro breathed when they broke apart, his forehead resting against hers.

"I missed you too," Rukia murmured, her eyes closing as she ducked under his chin and rested her head against his chest again, ear over his heart beat. "I thought I lost you forever."

Her voice was small and broken, and Toshiro could do nothing but tighten his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered back. He didn't know if she was talking about his slopestyle crash or about the whole ordeal but he was sorry for both. He hated the idea of her being upset.

Rukia shook her head quickly and pulled back – not far enough to be out of his arms but far enough that her warmth left him.

"No, I should be sorry," she grimaced. "I fucked up with that guy."

"Yuzu said you didn't-"

"I didn't," Rukia confirmed quickly but she still looked guilty. "I posted that picture though and I did it to lash out at you. I wanted to hurt you and I did, and I've never hated anything more. I am so sorry Toshiro."

Toshiro shook his head quickly, and brought her back into his chest. His heart clenched hearing her voice tighten and seeing the look of guilt and regret on her face.

"It's okay," he murmured, propping his chin on top of her head and slowly rubbing her back in an effort to comfort her. "It's in the past now, let's not dwell on it. I want to focus on our future."

He heard Rukia swallow and nod against him.

"I want that too," she murmured, her arms tightening around him now. "How am I supposed to let you go home in two days' time?"

Toshiro sighed sadly; now that was going to be a difficult goodbye. It wouldn't really be goodbye though and that's what he had to keep in mind.

"I don't know, Rukia," he replied honestly. "But we're going to see each other again soon, right? I won that bet."

The Irish woman smiled at that and he could hear it in her voice.

"I can't wait for April."

That was when they decided that Rukia would visit him in Australia. It was after their respective world championships and the end of their seasons so they could afford the time off training. It was also, in Toshiro's opinion, the best time to visit Oz weather-wise.

Toshiro pressed a kiss to the crown of Rukia's head before he pulled back from the hug and lead her over to the bed, stripping off his medal and team Australia jacket as he went.

They kicked off their shoes and slipped under the covers together, lying face to face, their lips only millimetres away from each other. Toshiro smiled and tucked Rukia's black hair behind her ear so he could see her better. For a moment he just looked at her, his mind memorising every feature of her face, from her moonlit skin to dark violets eyes and soft pink lips.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, smiling widely as a beautiful pink blush dusted her cheeks – how he had missed that.

Rukia's answer was to kiss him and Toshiro accepted it happily. They still hadn't discussed how this long distance relationship of theirs was going to work after the Olympics but Toshiro decided they could talk about it tomorrow. It was enough to know Rukia wanted to do it. Tonight, it was just the two of them, reuniting.

Rukia seemed to think so too, as she deepened the kiss and drew herself closer. Toshiro cupped her cheek to draw her in even more and hummed in agreement as her tongue slipped into his mouth; he had missed tasting her like this and feeling her warm skin beneath his fingertips. Automatically, he lifted her on top of him as he rolled onto his back. Her legs fell either side of his hips and Toshiro wasted no time grabbing her ass and squeezing.

Fuck he had definitely missed that too.

Rukia laughed and pulled back, sitting up on his hips.

"I've got something to show you," she said, her eyes lighting up and voice turning a little bit cheeky.

"Oh?" Toshiro queried and propped himself up on his elbows as Rukia slipped off him.

Rukia moved across the room and plucked her jacket off the floor before she unzipped one of the pockets and pulled out some paperwork. Toshiro raised a curious eyebrow as the Irish skater returned, her grin excited. She returned to her previous position straddling him and handed him the papers.

"What is it?" Toshiro asked, opening it up.

"Just read it," Rukia chuckled.

It was her Olympic medical check, he recognised it because he had one of his own – all Olympic athletes had to be checked over by a doctor before they could partake. It had been what ended his Olympic dream four years ago when the doctor – and Isshin – refused to sign him off with a broken rib.

Toshiro frowned as he read through it, unsure of what he was supposed to be looking for.

"I mean, I'm glad your healthy?" he glanced up at Rukia questioningly.

Rukia laughed loudly then and Toshiro pouted a little, not understanding where she was going with all this.

"I am very healthy, thank you," Rukia giggled. "I don't have any diseases or infections."

Toshiro nodded slowly, his brow dipping in confusion.

"I'm… happy for you?"

"No diseases or infections," Rukia repeated a bit slower, her grin only widening, "especially none of the_ sexually _transmitted variety."

She rolled her hips as she emphasised her words and Toshiro's face heated.

"Oh," he said and then again a moment later when it clicked_. "Oh."_

His eyes flickered back to the paperwork and searched quickly. He found it almost instantly.

'_**CURRENT MEDICATIONS:**_  
_\- Contraceptive Pill.'_

"You don't want to use a condom?" he clarified, eyes snapping back up to Rukia.

The woman shrugged half-heartedly, her lazy smile extra sexy.

"Well I'm clean and protected against pregnancy…"

"Me too," Toshiro added quickly, feeling excitement flood him. "I've never had an STD and uh, I don't have a uterus."

"Glad to hear it," Rukia smirked, amused.

Toshiro sat up, his hands falling on Rukia's hips and without thinking, he began rubbing gentle circles over the bone.

"If we go no condoms, we need to use more lube," he pointed out seriously. "And you need to tell me if it's hurting too much, okay?"

"I will," Rukia smiled and nodded. "I want to feel you properly."

Toshiro smiled and leaned in to kiss Rukia's cheek.

"I want that too," he murmured before directing his lips to hers.

This time the kiss held heat.

So much heat, in fact, that Rukia began to roll her hips against his and Toshiro groaned into her mouth. It good – it felt right. It was electric and desperate, and what they both needed after the stress of the last few days. They needed each other, both emotionally and physically and it was all coming out.

Toshiro held her close as they kissed, so relieved to have her back. He kissed her with passion and excitement for their future together. It was like their first time all over again, yet they knew each other's bodies better than they knew their own. Her lips – _wow_ – were just as soft as he remembered but they kissed him with such ferocity it didn't seem real. It was real though and Toshiro was crumbling against her touches quicker than he cared to admit.

Tongues danced until they were breathless, and then Toshiro moved to latch on to her neck, unafraid of marking her skin. Rukia was his and he was hers, they were together and no one would get in the way of that again. He wanted everyone to know it.

Rukia must have agreed because she gave a low moan when his teeth sunk into her skin, her hands moving over his back, greedily trying to feel every part of him.

Their lips reconnected in a messy and desperate exchange that had them both panting and Toshiro reaching for the Irish woman's ass. He squeezed it and groaned, and couldn't help but give it a short, sharp spank. Rukia's breathed hitched and Toshiro grinned into their kiss. It was a reminder of their time in the shower, which had been so raw and dirty. It seemed to spark something in Rukia, who quickly reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Toshiro didn't have time to do the same to her before Rukia was slamming him down on his back again, and Toshiro glanced up at her with a dazed expression. He vaguely remembered her doing this to him on their first night together, but this time she followed him down, leaning across his body.

Their next kiss was far more tender, which surprised Toshiro since Rukia was clearly leading. Never one to rush a tender minute, Toshiro let himself be enveloped in the more chaste moment, as Rukia lips then left his in favour of kissing along his jawline.

Her lips, and occasionally tongue and teeth, explored his face, then his neck, before moving down his throat. It was like she was mapping out his features in her mind, slowly and surely exploring him one bit at a time.

She reached his collarbone and Toshiro grunted, feeling himself harden. Rukia chuckled softly between her administrations and paid the area extra attention. He was squirming beneath her, his erogenous zones on fire as her hands pinned him to the mattress by his biceps.

"Fuck, Rukia," Toshiro gasped when she began sucking harshly on his clavicle, leaving her own mark. "You have no idea how much I want you."

'Want' was understatement, since she was still occasionally rocking herself against his growing bulge.

The Irish accent chuckled back at him.

"Patience," she chided. "I want to explore all of you. I regretted not doing it earlier."

Oh yes, their little break-up situation. Toshiro didn't let the reminder upset him but calmed to let Rukia continue about her business. They both needed it, if he was being honest, and it felt too good to stop her.

Her lips and tongue drew a map across his chest, following the lines of his muscles. Where her mouth wasn't, her hands were. Clutching at his skin and occasionally scratching him, Rukia made her way down his body and Toshiro lay panting and aroused beneath her. She moved down his abs, her tongue dipping into the crevices between them. Finally she found herself at his V muscle that disappeared into trousers.

"I have missed you," she murmured, eyes darkening and Toshiro had the distinct feeling she was now talking to the V instead of him.

With her hands grasping at his hips, fingers splayed over the beloved V muscle, Toshiro lifted his head to see Rukia sitting up. She winked at him before grinding herself hard in his now very prominent erection and Toshiro's head fell back with a groan. _Fuck_ this was too much to resist.

Thankfully Rukia didn't punish him for long as she lifted herself off him in favour of pulling down his trousers and boxers together, his hard cock bouncing back against him now free from its confines.

"I really missed you," Rukia whispered, definitely to his cock, and Toshiro couldn't help but chuckle at that, though it was cut short when she suddenly wrapped her hand around it and began to stroke.

"I think the only time we haven't used a condom was when I sucked you off under the table," Rukia reminded him of the night at the karaoke bar, her voice playful. "Though I am not sure if it counts."

Toshiro lifted his head again to look at her, she was looking down at his cock, her tongue swiping across her lips hungrily.

"It counts for me," he smiled at the memory. "That was the first blow job I ever received."

It had been his first, since all his other partners couldn't handle his size in their mouths – which was fair enough but also a bit upsetting for Toshiro.

"What?" Rukia's eyes snapped back to him and he saw shock in them.

"Yeah, no other girl has ever done it," Toshiro shrugged, he figured she could guess why.

Rukia stared at him, and he saw mental cogs turning. He didn't know what she was thinking but he grinned at her.

"So I guess congratulations? For taking my blow job virginity," Toshiro smirked. "It was a good one, if I can say so with my lack of experience."

Though it would have been better if Yuzu hadn't been there and Rangiku and Gin hadn't known what was happening.

Rukia eyed him for a moment before she seemed to decide something. She slipped off him quickly and Toshiro frowned as he watched her retreat and duck down by the minibar fridge.

"Rukia?" he called, worried he had said something to upset her.

He sat up quickly and swung his legs over the bed to get up but she was back before he could. He frowned when she showed him the two little ice cubes in her hand that had clearly come from the minibar's little freeze compartment.

"I'm going to give you proper blow job," she grinned as she slowly sunk to her knees between his legs, her eyes never leaving his.

Before he could question what that meant, she was popping the two little cubes into her mouth before clutching his cock and kissing the tip of it. Toshiro gasped when she opened her mouth and sunk down on his cock, the heat of her mouth contrasting sharply with the ice cubes she was holding in there and both had him shuddering in pleasure. If he had been standing his knees would have buckled.

Toshiro groaned, his hand wove into Rukia's hair and grasped it gently, encouraging her to continue.

"Fuck," he hissed when her metal tongue bar that was cold from the ice rubbed over his slit.

She remembered his kinks from their time in the hot tub. She remembered that he talked about ice play and now she was using it against him and it was pure bliss. Rukia Kuchiki x blow job x ice = _fu-u-uck-ing Hell. _

Toshiro was moaning deep and long when she continued to suck him off, her hands stroking what she couldn't fit in her mouth. The Australian snowboarder was dying, but it was such a glorious death.

"Ru-kia," Toshiro panted out her name, feeling so hot and worked up. "Fuck, Rukia. I-I need y-you."

The feeling was unbelievable and each time he felt her ice cold tongue bar drag over his sensitive head, Toshiro jerked, feeling the pre-cum seep out more and more as he was brought closer to climax. He couldn't do that, not in Rukia's mouth tonight – the first time they weren't going to use a condom. He wanted to finish inside her, preferably as she finished with him.

"Rukia, shit," Toshiro gasped before putting his hands on her shoulders and slowly pushing her off him. "You're gonna kill me."

Rukia chuckled as she wiped her mouth and he heard the distinctive crack of the remaining ice as she chewed and swallowed it.

"Good?" she asked as she climbed back onto the bed and into his lap.

Toshiro wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder, trying desperately to regain his breath.

"Fucking amazing," he breathed heavily.

She was patient with him as Toshiro fought for control of himself again – she honestly had no idea how close he had been. After a moment, he finally found the strength to straighten back up and kiss her again. He didn't waste time moving things along – he had tasted sweet orgasm just briefly and was determined to have him and Rukia come together to finish it off.

He turned and rolled Rukia over him until he was on top of her and she was flat on her back on the bed. Her eyes were dark with lust as she stared to into his, undoubtly more wild, eyes.

Toshiro went for her shirt and jumper together, removing them as if they were one item. The bra went next with practiced ease. Toshiro's lips latched onto her nipple before he could stop himself, while his hand slipped under the waist band of her trousers and went straight for her wet heat.

She gasped and arched her back when Toshiro bit her nipple and slipped the first finger in simultaneously. Her legs seemed to spread further apart as he pumped his finger in and out a few times before adding the second.

Toshiro changed to the other nipple as he began to stretch her open and Rukia's hands made their way into his hair, tugging desperately and only adding to Toshiro's own arousal.

"Toshiro," she groaned and he knew what she wanted, quickly adding the third finger that had her gasping loudly. "F-fuck."

She pulled harder at his hair and Toshiro groaned, feeling his cock throb painfully. He pulled back out of Rukia's reach and went about pulling off her trousers with one hand, leaving the other firmly planted at her entrance.

Finally she was naked again and Toshiro stopped for a moment to marvel at her body. It was as he remembered but he never grew less stunned by her beauty. Rukia Kuchiki was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he knew he would never grow tired of looking at her.

"Toshiro," Rukia reminded him, her voice tense and jaw clenched.

Toshiro's eyes swept up to her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair starting to stick her sweaty forehead, her pupils blown in arousal.

"Fucking gorgeous," Toshiro uttered, blown away by her beauty all over again.

"Fuck me," Rukia growled.

Toshiro chuckled, but made no attempted to remove his fingers just yet. They were going condom-less which meant they would be missing the extra bit of lube that condoms came with, so he wanted her to be sufficiently stretched for him.

He also wanted to drive her a little crazier, just as she had done to him with the icy blow job.

Continuing to use his three fingers inside her, Toshiro dipped his head down before sticking his tongue out to flicker against her clit.

He felt Rukia jerk above him and the swear word that followed before he dipped further down to give her clit the treatment it deserved.

"F-fuck," Rukia gasped before a low moan tore from her throat as Toshiro continued to use his fingers and tongue to get her worked up.

She tasted even better than he remembered and her scent was musky with arousal, just the way he liked it. Either side of his face, her toned thighs made an excellent grip for Toshiro to steady himself between them.

"Toshiro, s-stop, I'm g-gonna c-come," Rukia hissed desperately and Toshiro did as he was told, removing himself from her and grinning up at her cheekily.

They both knew she was capable of coming twice, that much he had proved the last time he went down on her. This time, however, Toshiro wanted to draw it out. He wanted to feel her finish around his bare cock.

Apparently disgruntled with the close call and very impatient, Rukia pushed Toshiro off her and rolled over to reach for his top drawer in the bedside table. She pulled out the lube, squeezed a generous amount into her hand before she rolled back over and straight on top again, clearly taking control again.

Toshiro didn't mind one bit, in fact he had missed her dominating ways.

He grunted when she touched him again, his cock grateful for the sensation, as she lathered him in lube.

Toshiro watched, eyes wide and pupils blown as she situated herself back over him and began to sink down on his cock, eyes clenched shut as she felt him. She slid down quicker than he expected her too, and he saw the painful stretch on her face but she seemed to groan in pleasure at that. Toshiro couldn't lie, she was so tight and hot around him, he could barely think.

"Fuck," she murmured, and a lazy smile tugged at her lips as her eyes opened her eyes to look at Toshiro.

Toshiro smirked back. They were reconnected physically and nothing had felt more natural or right.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, unable to stop the instinctive concern.

"It feels amazing," Rukia breathed, almost sighing in content.

They shared a quick smile, one that said how much they had missed each other, and how much they like each other, before Rukia began to move.

Starting shallow, Rukia began to lift herself up and sink back down on his cock, as both of them hummed at the feeling. Toshiro put his hands on her hips and did his best to steady her as she got going but eventually those hands moved to her ass and he groaned feeling the muscles moving beneath them as she began to ride his cock with more pace.

The last time she had rode him it was their first night together and he hadn't even known her name. Now there were intense feelings involved and chemistry that sparked around them like an electric current. It was incredible.

He couldn't stop himself from spanking her but she must have liked it because she moaned in response and picked up the pace even more.

"Fuck," she gasped and Toshiro groaned his response.

It felt so fucking good.

Suddenly she changed the pace, slowing but making her strokes even longer. Rukia rose until only the tip of him was left in her before she slammed back down on him quickly, causing them both to let out a sharp moan.

"Sh-shit," Toshiro gasped as Rukia repeated it again, rising off slowly before sinking sharply back down.

It was making the wiring in his brain short circuit until he was lost in a haze of last. He was a moaning mess, repeating her name over and over again.

He could hear Rukia stuttering out his name too, as she dropped down on him hard again.

"Rukia," Toshiro gasped, gripping her hips like his life depended on it. "I'm going to come if you d-don't st-stop."

"Good," she gasped. "C-come inside me."

Not without her, he wasn't.

Toshiro used his strength to flip them quickly, and Rukia moaned loudly and arched her back into him as he sunk back inside her, now on top. He pulled one of her legs over his shoulder while the other wrapped around his waist, before he thrusted powerfully into her again and again.

Rukia choked on her moan and Toshiro swallowed the next one as he kissed her fiercely. She was close, he could tell by the way her nails were digging deeper into his back, and Toshiro did not slow the pace. He was going to make her come with him and he was going to do it with penetration alone.

"Rukia," he called, voice commanding her to look into his eyes and she did.

He tilted her hips slightly and coupled a sharp thrust with a cheeky spank, and then he felt it; her walls tightening around him, her back arching and the moan that rocked his entire body.

Toshiro choked and came quickly, his sperm filling her instead of a condom, and that thought drove him to spill more than he had in his entire sexual history.

"Far out," he gasped and his arms finally buckled, causing him to collapse onto Rukia in a hot and sweaty heap.

She chuckled breathlessly, "Far out indeed."

Toshiro could barely breathe but pressed his face into her neck anyway. They laid like that for a while, silently trying to regain their breaths as Rukia's fingers dragged up and down his back lazily.

It was great to have her back, and he wasn't letting her go anytime soon.

Eventually sense came back to him and Toshiro rolled off Rukia so he wasn't crushing her, and instead pulled her to lay on top of him, his tired cock falling out of her but his arms wrapping around her.

They were exhausted and were happy to just lie together for a moment, recuperating from the hectic day.

Eventually the heat of sex seeped from the room and the chill started to filter in. They got cleaned up and Toshiro gave Rukia another T-shirt of his that he didn't expect back, before they got back into his bed and curled up together under the covers.

"Good night," Toshiro murmured, brushing the hair out of Rukia's face and pressing his lips gently against her forehead.

"G'night," she murmured sleepily back before nuzzling further into his body.

_Gods he had missed her._

…

At some point in the night, they must have rolled over together because when Toshiro woke up, he was hugging Rukia from behind, his nose buried in her hair. He smiled instantly, remembering all the events of yesterday, from his landed switch backside 1260 to holding Rukia as they fell asleep, their relationship renewed.

He pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck and in return she gave a hum of approval.

"Good morning, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured, tightening his arms around her and pressing a kiss to the back of her shoulder.

"Morning, Handsome," Rukia chuckled as she rolled back over in his arms to face him.

Both her eyes and smile were brighter than he had ever seen them and Toshiro couldn't help but kiss her again, this time on the lips.

"Can you believe that in twenty-four hours' time, we'll be at the airport?" Toshiro uttered, brushing away a dark lock of hair that had fallen over her face.

She sighed sadly, before shoving him harshly, to which Toshiro couldn't help but chuckle since it hardly moved him.

"Don't remind me," Rukia grimaced, and Toshiro pressed another little peck to the corner of her mouth, willing that frown away.

"Are you still sure you want to have a long-distance relationship?" Toshiro asked, capturing her hand beneath the covers and running his thumb soothingly across the knuckles. He prayed she hadn't changed her mind or was starting to have some doubts.

"Positive," Rukia said quickly and firmly, quelling Toshiro's budding worries. "I want us to be exclusive."

"Definitely," Toshiro sighed in relief; he was so glad that she was the one to bring that up and make it a rule.

Some people preferred an open relationship, especially if it was long distance so they could get that sexual relief from someone while their spouse was away, but Toshiro wasn't one of them. He couldn't cope with the idea of being home alone while Rukia was being pleasured by someone else and it instilled so much confidence in him that Rukia was on the same page. It seemed they both wanted it to be just the two of them, and no one else to intervene.

"It will be hard," Toshiro hated to point out. "The whole thing I mean. We'll be on opposite time zones."

Her morning would be his night and vice versa; one of them would be asleep and the other one would be conquering the day.

Rukia squeezed his hand.

"We'll have to communicate," Rukia smirked before rolling her eyes. "Hopefully better than how we've been doing it here."

_Amen to that_.

"Okay," Toshiro exhaled. "Maybe we set a time each day to call each other? We tell each other about our day and how we're feeling. We'll be completely honest, no secrets… even if that means admitting that something's not working."

They couldn't let fester and rot, they had to be on the same page and address issues head on before either of them could get hurt.

"I agree," Rukia murmured. "And if we can't make the daily phone call for whatever reason, we'll let each other know as soon as possible so no one is left waiting and worrying."

Toshiro nodded; this was good, this was the communication they were going to need to have when they were on opposite sides of the globe. They would take it one day at a time, one phone call at a time and one visit at a time. Down the track, if things were going well and they wanted to be closer, maybe they could work out a plan to live together, but it was one step at a time for now.

"And Byakuya is cool with it?" he found himself asking. The older Kuchiki seemed to be happy for them at Toshiro's competition yesterday but still, Toshiro had flashbacks of the barbecue swirling around in his mind.

Rukia coughed a little, "Yeah. He supports us."

That must have been some routine she did at the gala skate to get Byakuya back on their side. Yuzu had told him Rukia was skating her brother's old routine hoping to fix things with him, but it was hard to imagine after those vile things he had said after her free skate finals.

"I know, I know," Rukia continued, apparently seeing the surprise and doubt on Toshiro's face. "As it turns out, my sister's grave had been… _vandalised_, and he was trying to keep it from getting back to me while I had my events on. It put a lot stress on him, he even flew home and I didn't know."

Toshiro's heart dropped and he pulled Rukia closer; he couldn't imagine that, couldn't imagine if someone had vandalised his mother's grave. It was her sacred resting spot, and the place where his family went to visit her. Rukia's voice sounded so hurt and just plain sad, the way she had swallowed hard on the word 'vandalised', and Toshiro closed his eyes, pulling her in for a tighter hug – it was easier now to see Byakuya in his state and understand why he snapped. He was still wrong for going after Rukia like that, Toshiro saw no excuse for a brother speaking to his little sister like that, but he understood where that stress and anger had come from. Byakuya had taken it out on the wrong person because he had been bottling it up.

"I'm so sorry," Toshiro murmured, rubbing Rukia's back in hope it would soothe her.

She took a big breath. "It was awful, but… it was the catalyst Byakuya and I needed to start talking properly. I told him how I felt about you and he's supports us completely."

Well that was good at least. Toshiro and Rukia didn't need the added stress of a brother who was against them on top of the long-distance shit they already had to cope with.

"I'm happy you two sorted it out," Toshiro told her sincerely. "I was able to sort things out with my brother too, so I know how much of a relief it is."

He hoped he and Ichigo were good now, hopefully they could get back some of their old relationship from when they were inseparable brothers. It would be cool to have a brother that he could hang out with again, especially since they trained and competed at the same places every year.

Rukia smiled at that.

"I thought so," she hummed. "Ichigo was so excited to see you competing yesterday, and seemed genuinely happy that you won the gold."

Toshiro smiled widely; that was so great to hear.

He was happy, happier than he had been in a long time. He had a killer group of friends, an amazing family who loved him, a gold medal, and the most incredible girlfriend who could have ever imagined.

_Girlfriend._ Fuck he liked the sound of that.

He leaned down and kissed Rukia's lips again, holding the kiss there for a moment. He felt good about them and their future, he really did. It would be hard, he was sure of that, but they could do it. They had both tasted life without each other and they had hated it. It had made them closer now, and given them the push they needed to take this relationship to the next level. Distance was irrelevant in the face of love.

Toshiro smirked, having another thought, and dipped his head down to kiss Rukia's neck, right over the stunning hickey he had left from last night.

"And how do you feel about phone sex?" he whispered, voice going low.

Rukia tilted her head to give him better access to her neck, while her arm slung over his back and began to drag her nails softly across his skin.

"I'm pro phone sex," she answered, voice a little breathless. "How do you feel about sending dirty pictures?"

"I'm pro sending dirty pictures," Toshiro muttered between kissing her neck. "Just don't show them to Gin."

Rukia laughed. "Now that I can't promise."

Toshiro rolled his eyes before biting down on her hickey a bit in warning, causing her to hiss; he honestly wasn't sure if she was kidding, but also knew he was going to have a hard time trying to wrangle Rangiku away from his dirty pictures – both of Rukia and of himself.

He felt himself harden a little as he thought of what those pictures would look like. He hoped she would do some in her burlesque lingerie.

They seemed to forget about talking then, their mouths suddenly busy kissing instead of discussing their new relationship, but of course their privacy couldn't last long.

A loud knocking disrupted them and soon Rangiku's shrill voice cut through the growing sexual mist.

"Yoohoo!" Rangiku called from the other side of the door. "Let me in!"

Toshiro groaned and pulled away from Rukia, collapsing face first into the pillows. Why – _why _– was he friends with Rangiku again? She felt the constant need to interrupt him when he was about to get busy, seemingly increasing since he got here.

Rukia laughed and rolled out of the bed. He pouted and rolled on to his back as she moved towards the door, his shirt swallowing her body and covering the fact she wasn't wearing underwear.

"Don't let her in," Toshiro hissed – he was still naked!

Rukia didn't seem to mind – of course she didn't, his shirt on her covered everything as long as she didn't do an impromptu gymnastics routine in the middle of the hotel room. Smirking, Rukia opened the door and Rangiku practically fell in, clearly having been leaning against the door when it had opened.

"Oh good, you're dressed," Rangiku smirked, seeing the team Australia t-shirt Rukia was sporting. "Get up, we're going out."

"Where to?" Rukia asked while Toshiro buried his head back in the pillows – well, there went his morning sex plans.

"We're getting tattoos," Rangiku announced happily. "All of us, so come on!"

"What?" Toshiro asked, lifting his head to look at his mad woman of a best friend.

"Yeah, matching Olympics-themed tattoos!" Rangiku explained excitedly.

The strawberry blonde went on to explain everything. After they had all went their separate ways last night, Renji convinced Ichigo to get a tattoo with him, and Jinta convinced Yuzu who then decided that Toshiro was on board too because "he's got heaps of tattoos" – _thanks for that Yuzu._ Rangiku, never one to be left out, decided she wanted one and then that roped in Gin, who in turned roped in Soi Fon. Before anyone knew it, it was decided the whole IreAussie crew would be getting matching tattoos and no one could say no because nobody wanted to be the Mark Ruffalo of the group.

"So we're all going to get the Olympic Rings," Rangiku continued, "and something unique to do with our sports."

"That actually sounds pretty cool," Rukia decided, looking at Toshiro excitedly.

Toshiro had to admit he loved the idea of a group tattoo, having already got two group tattoos on him – the snowflake he shared with his siblings, and the sun, moon, star tattoo he shared with Rangiku and Yukio. He did think the Olympic Rings might look a little tacky, but then again, it had been possibly the greatest experience of his life…

The white haired man sighed, glancing back at Rukia who was looking at him with large, hopeful eyes.

"Fine," Toshiro exhaled; he hoped he didn't regret this.

Both Rukia and Rangiku squealed in excitement and high fived before Rangiku was telling them to get their asses into gear and meet everyone in the lobby in ten minutes. It was, regrettably, not enough time for Toshiro and Rukia to squeeze in a cheeky morning fuck, but that being said, Toshiro did convince Rukia they could save time by sharing a shower. It was still intimate and nice, though no sex was had, even though a bit of a kissing session left the running a few minutes late.

Their late arrival did not go unnoticed, of course.

"Oh good afternoon," Ichigo sassed the moment Toshiro and Rukia finally arrived. "What time do you call this?"

Toshiro, feeling like he and Ichigo were finally back there, pounced on his brother and the two of them ended up in a friendly, brotherly wrestle. Honestly, it wasn't even ten in the morning and they were lucky he and Rukia weren't a whole lot later, given what Toshiro had originally planned.

"Okay, okay," Rangiku laughed, getting between Toshiro and Ichigo. "Break it up, girls. We've got tatts to get."

There was a cheer from the rest of their group and Toshiro and Ichigo broke apart laughing – it was amazing that the two Shiba men could play that way again, like they were still kids who had grown up best friends.

"I won that round," Ichigo smirked, throwing Rukia a wink over Toshiro's shoulder to which the white haired sibling rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah old man," Toshiro scoffed, "in your dreams."

The IreAussie crew, as they were affectionately known by their internet fans, finally headed out of the village, their first group date without drama in a long time. Everyone was grinning ear to ear – the pressure of competing finally over. Well, except for Soi Fon who was due to compete in her finals that afternoon but the little Irish assassin-pixie looked just as carefree as the rest of the group.

They discussed tattoo ideas together as they walked through the ski village of St Moritz. They had all agreed to get the Olympic rings and something to do with their sports, so ideas were flying around, everyone happy to help someone come up with a cool design. Karin was even coming to get a tattoo too, not an Olympics one but something else.

"You'll see," Karin shrugged vaguely when asked what she was getting.

Toshiro just hoped it wasn't going to be another alcoholic themed one – the dark haired twin already had the word 'tequila' inside a love heart on her hip.

They arrived at the tattoo parlour and the group was vibrating with excitement. Toshiro very quickly threw Jinta under the bus to go first, since it was the little punk's idea and he had certainly been talking the talk on the walk through the town.

Apparently nervous but trying to keep it together, the redhead jumped into the chair and explained to the tattoo artist what he wanted. Toshiro couldn't keep a straight face when he saw the young man's expression when the needle caught his sight – he was paler than Toshiro's hair. Though, giving credit where credit was due, Jinta hung in there with a doting Yuzu by his side, as he got the first tattoo.

Though Toshiro knew Jinta had originally had plans to get the tattoo across his chest, it seemed Yuzu talked him into getting it on the outside of his left ankle instead. Yuzu was getting one to mirror his on the outside of her right ankle. They both got the Olympic rings but on the inside of the bottom rings, they got an ice skate each.

"So when we stand facing each other, our tattoos will face each other," Yuzu explained excitedly, "just like how we usually perform."

It was nice symbolically, and Jinta was out of the chair in no time. He convinced Yuzu in next, the poor girl a little teary as the needle got closer and closer to the bone. It wasn't her first tattoo though, the other being her matching Shiba-sibling snowflake tattoo, but it was clear she wasn't the seasoned pro that Renji, Toshiro and Karin were by comparison.

Speaking of Karin, the younger twin was the next to get a tattoo. No one was allowed to see it, except apparently Rukia who Karin decided to let into her little one woman club for the day.

Toshiro pouted from the otherside of the parlour as Karin called Rukia over and whispered in her ear, Rukia's lips parting a little as she heard Karin's idea, eyes wide. Violet eyes flickered up to Toshiro who threw back a questioning look, to which Rukia only grinned before turning her attention back to his sister.

"Maybe she'll get the infinity symbol?" Yuzu suggested.

Toshiro shook his head – Karin wasn't one for 'basic bitch' tattoos – as she put it – if she could avoid it.

"If she gets a martini glass, I'll disown her," Ichigo chuckled.

Across the room, Rukia and Karin were huddled together, watching intently as the tattoo artist went about inking the latter's skin, the buzz of the needle wurring happily. It took a while but eventually the tattoo artist was stepping away, wurring ceased and Rukia and Karin were talking in quick hushed tones as they admired the man's work.

"I love it," Toshiro caught Karin saying as Rukia nodded firmly.

"It's beautiful," the Irish woman agreed.

Karin hopped out of the chair and hurried over to her siblings, excitedly flashing her new ink to them. On the inside of her forearm, almost in exactly the same spot Toshiro had his snowflake tattoo, Karin now had a compass. Simple, yet highly detailed, the compass points were replaced with names; Isshin for north, Ichigo for east, Toshiro for south and Yuzu for west.

Needless to say, the Shiba siblings were speechless as they stared at it, though Rangiku was cooing softly over Toshiro's shoulder.

"I have the snowflake for Mum, but nothing for you guys," Karin hurried to explain, "and you're the most important people in my life."

Toshiro reached for her arm and gently pulled it closer so he could examine it. His fingers ghosted over the top of his name but he didn't dare touch it while it was so fresh and tender. It was beautiful, truly beautiful, and utterly touching to see his name in ink on the skin of one of his favourite people in the world. Actually Isshin did have all the kids names – first and middle names – tattooed on his chest, over his heart, but somehow that was different.

"The compass is because we're always travelling separately and in all different corners of the world," Karin continued, "but wherever we are, we're always family and we're always there for each other."

Toshiro's heart swelled for a moment. That was incredibly true, especially this past year when Ichigo and Toshiro had been in Canada while Yuzu trained at home and Karin went to Germany. Even though they hadn't been there for each other in the past as much as they should have been, they had turned a new leaf on this trip and going forward, they weren't going to let sibling rivalry or pesky time zones get in the way of supporting each other through thick and thin.

"I love it," Toshiro murmured, pulling Karin in for a hug.

"Me too," Yuzu squealed before joining the hug.

"Me three," Ichigo chuckled before he too joined the hug.

"Honorary sibling coming in," Rangiku joined quickly, squeezing them all tightly.

"Really?" Ichigo hissed breathlessly he was squeezed. "I don't remember seeing your name on the compass, Rangiku."

Toshiro laughed and that earned the brothers an even tighter squeeze from Rangiku.

"Come on, Rukia," Rangiku called. "Join the party, future sister-in-law."

Toshiro choked and flushed while Rukia just chuckled, though he didn't miss the blush on her cheeks too.

"I wish I could," Rukia laughed, "but somebody needs to hold this wimp's hand."

She gestured to Gin, who was being forced by Renji into the tattoo chair. Thankfully that was the distraction Rangiku needed to let go of them and she skipped off to Gin's side in an instant.

It took hours, and people came and went, Toshiro and Rukia managed to sneak out for a quiet moment together under the pretence of doing a coffee run for everyone.

By the time Toshiro was hoping in the chair, Jinta, Yuzu, Karin, Gin, Soi Fon, Renji and Ichigo had gotten theirs, and Soi Fon had since run off to get ready for her finals.

True to the group's theme, they had all gotten the Olympic Rings and something to do with their sport (other than Karin of course). Jinta and Yuzu had their mirroring skates inside the bottom rings on their ankles, Gin had a snowboard cross rider riding over the rings like the obstacle hills in his course across the inside of his forearm, Soi Fon had a similar design where the snow was being slashed up across her ribs, Renji had his skis stabbing into the one of the rings behind his shoulder, and Ichigo got his skis crossing over the rings on the back of his calf.

After a bit of thought, Toshiro decided to get a snowboarder doing a hand plant on top of the top right hand side ring – it was his one of his favourite tricks, though it was essentially useless for getting points in competition. It was a fun trick, and that's what snowboarding was to him – fun. He got the tattoo on the outside of the opposite ankle to the one that held his sun, moon, star tattoo.

Rukia went next and decided to get her tattoo in the same place as Toshiro – the snowboarder feeling a little touched about that – and got the Olympic rings with her skates hanging by their laces from one of them.

"That's so cool," Yuzu gushed, her eyes wide and staring down at her idol's new ink. Her smiling face turned to Toshiro and she whispered, "I can't believe I just got a tattoo with_ the_ Rukia Kuchiki."

Toshiro rolled his eyes and Rukia chuckled.

"I can't believe I got a tattoo with_ the_ Yuzu Shiba," she quipped back, a cheeky wink following that had Yuzu almost fainting.

Finally, as the afternoon sun was starting set in, Rangiku was the last to pop into the chair. On her hip, she got the Olympic rings, with a snowboarder flying over the top doing one of her signature method air moves.

"Tha's amazin'!" Gin enthused, holding Rangiku's hand tightly as it was finished off.

Toshiro knew Rangiku was playing up the pain a little more than necessary to have Gin cooing over her and holding her so tightly, but it seemed to work regardless.

"Dad is going to flip out," Yuzu laughed as they walked back up the hill to get to Soi Fon's finals.

"You didn't tell your dad you're all getting tattoos?" Renji asked, surprised.

"Oh he can't say shit," Karin scoffed. "You seen the tattoos on that man?"

Isshin had gone on a craze in his early twenties and now was almost covered in them, but somehow he rocked them like it was no one's business and Toshiro prayed his own tattoos would look that good at his father's age.

"Oh Byakuya," Rukia stopped suddenly, as if she just remembered him. Toshiro paused too and turned to look at her. _Shit_. How was he going to feel about her new tattoo?

After a moment, Rukia shrugged and continued walking.

"What's done is done," she waved it off and Toshiro hoped this wasn't going to get them into trouble again because he did not want to face the older Kuchiki's wrath.

Shaking off the concern, Toshiro focused on remaining in the moments with Rukia for now and the two of them followed the rest of the group up the mountain to Soi Fon's finals.

They made it up the mountain to the snowboard cross course. It was Toshiro's first time seeing it and he inhaled at the sight – it was huge!

It was also packed with audience members, excitement crackling in the air like electricity. Eventually the group found a few seats together in the stands.

Toshiro gestured for Rukia to sit in one, and for Ichigo to sit in the next one along as he didn't mind standing behind them.

"Toshiro, come on," Ichigo laughed, sending Toshiro an amused and knowing look. "You couldn't see over my head even if I was sitting."

Toshiro sent his brother a playful glare before resigning to the fact he was short and sitting in the chair beside Rukia. The benefit, he supposed, was that his girlfriend could snuggle into his side – which she promptly did – and they could cuddle throughout the event.

"Tall guys freak me out anyway," she murmured against him, in a show of trying to make him feel better about his height, or lack thereof.

Toshiro frowned, "But Gin is your best friend."

"And have you seen him?" Rukia pretended to shudder. "Scariest guy alive."

They glanced over to the 'scariest guy alive' and spied him getting his hand stuck in his own mitten, until Rangiku had to step in and help him out of it. They chuckled at the comedic timing of it all.

After a moment longer, Soi Fon's group was called up. She was to have a quarter final race first, then if she placed high enough, a semi-final. Provided she did well in the semis, she would progress to the finals for a shot at the podium.

Toshiro's eyes travelled to the starting line and he spotted Soi Fon in the lime green easily. She was the shortest by a foot, but her posture and demeanour screamed secret assassin as it usually did, and despite the lack of height, she looked like the fiercest competitor there. Toshiro still didn't know her that well, but she seemed like the sort to get very competitive on game night – the flip the monopoly board type, as Karin was when Toshiro was winning (he was always winning at Monopoly).

The race started with a bang and the women lined up shot off immediately – though the Canadian next to Soi Fon seemed to hesitate just a second, probably due to the intimidation. The audience, and of course the IreAussie team were screaming their cheers, louder than their neighbouring groups.

Rukia was quite literally on the edge of her seat, Toshiro noticed with twitching lips, her hands grasped together so tightly they were whiter than the snow Soi Fon was carving up down on the course. Toshiro reached over and grabbed her hands, forcing them apart as he did his best to comfort and warm her up. Rukia's smile was shy as she took her attention off the race for a moment to watch him.

On the final corner, Soi Fon managed to scrape into second place, allowing her progression to the semi-finals.

"Alright, we're going on a coffee run," Ichigo announced then, since they now had a while to wait between Soi Fon's races, before he counted the number of people he needed to buy for, and disappeared with Renji.

Toshiro was watching them go when he felt a freezing cold hand slip up under his jacket and press into his abs. His eyes snapped to Rukia who just sent him an apologetic, yet not at all sorry, look. He allowed it, given he was a boyfriend now and it was his duty to keep his woman warm, even if it meant her icy hands on his bare skin, on top of a snowy mountain.

Ichigo and Renji returned with the drinks and Toshiro was grateful as the cold hands of his girlfriend retracted in favour of holding her hot coffee.

Eventually, Soi Fon's semi-final group was called up to start, and many familiar boarders from the other heats now stood alongside her. Toshiro internalised the sigh and worry – those women were fast, they had seen that in the quarter finals heats, and he wasn't sure their Irish friend was going to make the cut this time.

He had been correct, as Soi Fon dropped quickly behind the faster riders, and finished overall at twelfth place. Still, the IreAussie crew were incredibly proud of her! An Olympic semi-final was a huge feat, especially for someone from a country with little mountains and snow.

Filing out of their seats, the group met up with Soi Fon at the bottom of the course.

She laughed when she saw them, seemingly not too upset at all.

"I just want to get smashed," she told them with more theatricality than Toshiro knew she could muster.

Well that could be arranged, and Toshiro spied Rangiku's shit-eating grin through the group. He grimaced, knowing it was to be a big final night at the Olympics.

Thankfully, they had the closing ceremony first.

They didn't have much time to get ready for the closing ceremony but fortunately, the whole thing was far more relaxed than the opening ceremony.

They arrived back at the hotels and quickly changed into their full Olympic uniforms. Toshiro donned the yellow beanie which was hideous next to his black Quiksilver one but it was Australian and he was proud of it. Plus, Rukia had seen him wearing it the first time she saw him and now they were dating. It couldn't have been _that_ hideous.

He knew Rukia would have makeup to do and would take longer to get ready, so he decided to meet her at her room. Of course, the beanie was the first thing she commented on when he arrived.

"I forgot about that thing," she pursed her lips as she leaned against the door frame and Toshiro laughed loudly as he entered her room, kissing the corner of her mouth as he passed her.

He had swapped the yellow team beanie for his black Quiksilver one after the opening ceremony and it hadn't been seen again until now.

Toshiro pulled the ugly yellow beanie off and immediately put it on Rukia's head. She smacked his hands away and tried to shake him off but Toshiro was persistent, wrestling it on her and capturing her hands to stop her pulling it straight off.

He gasped theatrically, and turned her to face the large mirror on the wall of room.

"Look, Babe," he kissed her neck, arms wrapped tightly around her delicate frame. "It looks so great on you."

"_Babe,"_ Soi Fon echoed with a scoff from the other side of the room but Toshiro ignored it.

To be entirely honest, he wasn't lying. It did look good on Rukia, despite the confronting colour that rarely looked good on anyone. Her midnight hair looked even darker sticking out from it, and her violet eyes complimented the yellow in a way that was surprising and yet not at all surprising. Rukia pulled the look off, of course she did, because she looked amazing no matter what she wore. She could wear a potato sack and Toshiro would still have to pause to take in her beauty.

It also may have had something to do with the fact it was_ his _beanie that she was wearing. After seeing her in his scarf and t-shirts, Toshiro was starting to think he was developing a bit of a thing for seeing his girlfriend in his clothing. It was just plain hot, if he was being honest.

"It doesn't go with the green of my uniform," Rukia argued, fidgeting in his arms and Toshiro snorted.

"Nothing does, I'm afraid."

That earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs and Toshiro stumbled back with a pained wheeze as Rukia broke free of his hold.

"Don't you be insulting the lime green of the Irish uniform, Mr. Bright-Yellow." Rukia sassed, pointing a makeup brush at him sternly. "It's really come to grow on me."

"Yeah, like moss," Toshiro couldn't help it and had to quickly duck as that makeup brush was pegged at his face.

Still, he had to notice that Rukia did not remove the team Australia beanie from her head, despite its' apparent hideousness. Instead she rummaged through her suitcase and a moment later, she withdrew the team Ireland beanie that was the same lime green as the jackets and pants they wore.

She threw it at him and Toshiro caught it quickly.

"I'll wear yours if you wear mine?" she suggested playfully, eyebrow cocked in challenge.

Toshiro smirked and pulled the Irish beanie over his white locks and turned to look in the mirror. Yep – it was as ugly on as it was off. Still, it was Rukia's beanie and _Hell yeah_, he wanted to wear it. Couples that share beanies, share a future – that's a fact.

He turned back to Rukia grinning madly, and the woman shook her head and laughed before continuing to get ready. Toshiro took a quick selfie of it and posted it to his Instagram story with the hashtag 'IreAussie' and tagging Rukia – that would set the fans off, for sure.

He relaxed on Rukia's bed while the two women moved around the room, hurriedly finishing their makeup and hair. At one point Rukia checked her phone and snorted and a moment later Toshiro received a notification that _' RukiKuchi has mentioned you in their story' _and she had reposted his story with the addition of a heart eyes emoji.

When both Rukia and Soi Fon were – finally – deemed by each other as ready to go, they left the room together and headed down to the lobby of Toshiro's hotel to meet everyone else for the closing ceremony. Of course, Yuzu squealed when she saw them wearing each other's' beanies.

Excitement buzzed through the air and it seemed everyone had a bit of a bounce in their step as they made their way down to the arena. Those who had won medals were wearing them, and those who didn't seemed just as proud and thrilled to be there. It was the closing ceremony after all, and also their final commitment for that year's Winter Olympic Games.

They reached the arena and were lead into the waiting area where Toshiro and Rukia had first laid eyes on each other.

"Feels like a lifetime ago," Rukia murmured softly to him, and Toshiro nodded, squeezing her hand.

It was weird to think it was only two weeks that passed, and yet he had fallen so hard for this woman. It was actually strange to think about all the strong friendships he had made with the Irish team and others in the short time frame. They would be friends for life now, even if it took another four years for some of them to be reunited, because the games were what bonded them and no one could ever take those memories away from them.

Like last time, Rangiku and Toshiro danced like idiots together while they waited, but unlike last time, they weren't the only two. The whole IreAussie team joined in, none of them trying to look good, and soon then did other athletes, even complete strangers.

This time no one was nervous. They were happy and excited, and all aware that is was the last night they would get to spend here. It wasn't sad yet, though Toshiro had a feeling he might feel that way later in the evening, but for now it was about making the most of their time left here.

This time, people wouldn't have to walk in their team groups. A select member from each country would represent the team as the flag bearers and would walk out together ahead of everyone else. Toshiro watched proudly as Ichigo was given the Australian flag, his smile so wide it must have hurt his cheeks. Gin took the flag for Ireland and after they both gave their partners an affectionate farewell, they bounced off ahead to the starting point.

The rest of the athletes, across all participating nations, would walk out together, mingled amongst their friends and competitors. It was to symbolise the coming together of the countries for the event and the friendships that could be formed through sport. Of course, most countries still walked in their respective teams, but many athletes did mingle.

For Toshiro, it wasn't even a question that the little Irish team would walk with the Australians. It was a bit more of a surprise to have some of Team New Zealand join them, as the likes of Ikkaku, Yumichika and Yachiru got amongst them. Isane and her sister defected from the Japanese lot to catch up with Rukia and even Nanao broke free from the Canadian pack to mix in with everyone. By the time they were due to walk out, teams were no longer segregated and it became a sea of miss-matched colours and uniforms.

Toshiro didn't doubt for a second that the internet was going to go mad seeing the IreAussie crew together again, just as they seemed to do anytime they were photographed while out as a group. Rangiku was giving Yachiru a piggy back, which was sure to make headlines too but Toshiro also knew that the biggest gossip news of the night was going to be his and Rukia's appearance. He was categorically sure that the RukiShiro shippers were about to lose their shit as Toshiro and Rukia emerged into the arena, hand's locked and wearing each other's beanies.

The crowd was indeed going wild when they stepped out, and seemed to grow louder and louder as Toshiro and his friends passed. The music was almost deafening but it did nothing against the roar in the arena stands. Around them, the dancers danced and the musicians played, the Olympic mascots ran around playfully.

In all corners of the arena, giant screens showed close ups of the athletes, both the flag bearers and the rest trailing behind.

It held less anticipation than the opening ceremony had and also far less of the nerves Toshiro had felt, yet it was just as exciting and far more fun.

This time Toshiro didn't have to sneak looks at the pretty Irish woman across the arena, he could sneak looks at her right beside him, her delicate fingers intertwined with his. She was wearing his team Australia beanie because she was his girlfriend and Toshiro wore the Irish one because he was her boyfriend – the shippers would froth over that, he sure. It was obviously official now – they were a couple and the RukiShiro ship was sailing the high seas proudly.

Unlike the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony finished with the athletes on their feet in the arena and linked by their hands, having formed a circle around the outside of the stage and together they sung along to the championship songs that played and watched proudly as the Olympic flag was removed from the flagpole and ceremoniously passed to the representatives of the next Olympics host, China.

The ceremony ended in hugs throughout the whole room, and of course, the IreAussie group and their select other friends brought it in for one very big group hug. Even Ichigo and Gin, once they had ditched their flags, ran to join in and they were welcomed happily.

Toshiro caught a glimpse of the big screen and saw the final image of the Olympics that was broadcast to the world; him, his friends and his family, all together in one big happy embrace, all smiles and excitement, and then screen went black.

The St Moritz Winter Olympic Games was officially over.

…

The Olympics was over but the party certainly was not.

Toshiro found himself on the dancefloor, Rukia in his arms and their hips pressed together as they swayed to the beat, reminiscent of their first date together. Around them the couples were doing the same and Karin was holding a suspicious bottle to her chest in place of a partner but hey, she looked happy and Toshiro wasn't about to stop her.

It looked like almost every athlete that had competed was there that night, plus a bunch of the younger coaches. The bar was packed and spilling out into the rest of the village.

They had an awkward encounter coming into the bar, when Toshiro and Rukia ended up face to face with the man from her Instagram picture, the security guard –Jake? Jacob? Toshiro didn't care to know, actually.

Toshiro had been given most of the story from Rukia now and had to grudgingly admit the dude seemed like a decent guy but still, it was uncomfortable and he hoped he never saw the man again. More importantly, he hoped Rukia never saw the man.

Shaking it off, Toshiro focussed on what was important – his last night with Rukia – and he wanted to make sure it was as fun as possible.

It wasn't hard – people were hardly even trying to hide the alcohol that night, as most of the security seemed to turn a blind eye for the final night of the games and everyone let loose. It was wild, energetic and fun, and the IreAussie team were certainly not shy about showing off their new tattoos, which was consistently met with an approving and somewhat jealous cheer.

Everyone was friends that night, no longer competitors. Rangiku and Tatsuki were twerking against each other which Gin was looking upon with a dropped jaw, and Soi Fon was having an arm wrestle with one of the burly Russian hockey players (she won, but Toshiro reckoned it was her deathly glare that forced the Russian's muscular arm down in the end).

Toshiro himself was largely focused on Rukia, the dwindling time they had together in the back of his mind. He stayed sober, and held her close when they danced, she was never out of arms' length. The Irish woman didn't seem to mind, in fact she seemed to be holding him just as close and desperately. Two weeks ago they had shared their very first kiss in this bar. Back then they had been too horny to even care about each other's names let alone care about seeing each other again but right now, they knew so much about each other and the fact they would be going home to their respective countries tomorrow was utterly painful.

They were doing their best to ignore that though, and just enjoy their time together. They drank, (Toshiro stuck to soft drink), they danced, they laughed with their friends and at one point dominated a limbo competition – Rukia won in the end because she was just about the shortest, most flexible person in the room, but Toshiro came a strong fifth out of the fifty odd that were involved, and second out of the men.

"Silver on the ice," Rukia laughed when she jumped back into Toshiro arms after the competition, "but Gold under the limbo stick."

"Ahh but it was the opposite for me," Toshiro grinned, dipping her low for a quick kiss. "Gold in the pipe but silver under the stick."

"I guess we'll have to work on your flexibility," Rukia smirked, her leg raising above her head to make her point.

Toshiro laughed and kissed her. This was the most amazing way to start their relationship – by having a fun night out with their friends. Take away the Olympics factor and it was an entirely normal day-to-day activity, and Toshiro liked the idea of having a normal relationship with Rukia, even if they were about to do it from over seventeen thousand kilometres away.

"Aye, yeh've won at limbo," Gin's voice called from the couch where he and Rangiku were now tangled around each other, "but can yeh beat meh an' Ran in ah friendly match eh ping pong?"

There was a challenge there and Toshiro rolled his eyes – Gin and Rangiku had both done poorly in limbo because they were both so tall. In fact Gin was the first person out and that must have been a bit of a blow to his ego. Rangiku was the first woman out and that was definitely a blow to her ego – more so than coming second in the halfpipe.

"Bring it on, Bitch," Rukia called and that's how Toshiro was roped into playing doubles ping pong with Gin and Rangiku.

Of course, it was immediately obvious how things were going to go when Gin's serve was quicker than lightning and Rangiku's agility in a rally was surprisingly fluid, not to mention their height which had been their kryptonite in limbo but quickly became their advantage in ping pong. In short (pun unintended), Toshiro and Rukia lost dramatically – but was it their fault that Gin and Rangiku had insanely long limbs and could reach every ball that ping ponged their way?

"Short shits, short shits, short shits," Gin and Rangiku had chanted together, waving their paddles in victory.

Rukia cursed at them in Gaelic and Toshiro had to pull her away, but it was hard because he was crying with laughter.

"It's okay, Babe," Toshiro held the flailing Irish woman while Gin taunted her from afar. "You won the limbo competition, remember?"

She continued to swear in Gaelic.

Thankfully, Toshiro was able to distract her with a dance as one of his new favourite songs – 'Shut Up and Dance' by WALK THE MOON started. It was actually surprisingly applicable to their current situation, and the perfect excuse for Toshiro to hold her close and occasionally press their hips together in a way that reminded him of last night.

"Kuchiki," an eastern European accent called when the song eventually came to an end and the new couple turned to see the blonde Russian skater that had taken Rukia's gold medal. "Care to settle things once and for all?"

The smirk was smug and arrogant and yet Toshiro saw no malice in the girl's eyes. Rukia scoffed playfully as she untangled herself from Toshiro and approached the other woman.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Hiyori," Rukia smirked as they stood face to face.

Toshiro frowned wondering if they were always friends or if this was new, and was Rukia always this competitive? To be honest, he was loving seeing this playful, albeit ruthless in her endeavour to win party games, side of Rukia. It was an incredible turn on and something Toshiro knew he could use in future when they hung out.

Toshiro watched from the sidelines with an excited Yuzu as the song changed to on old Black Eyed Peas hit and suddenly the two girls were engaged in a fierce dance battle. They were laughing though, so Toshiro knew they were just playing but it was still quite a competition.

"This is gold," Yuzu giggled from behind her phone, filming the whole thing. Apparently she was going live on Instagram for the night. "There's already over three thousand people watching!"

Eventually, when Rukia then won a dance off against the Russian skater, she seemed to have calmed down from her ping pong defeat and she and Yuzu scurried off to the bathrooms together – Apparently Yuzu's secret lifelong dream had been to get a bathroom selfie with her queen, though why Toshiro had no idea. The white haired Shiba, still the most sober person in the room, was immediately accosted by a very drunk Karin.

"I need your help," she explained quickly, words only slightly slurred, her hands gripping his jacket and pulling him towards the ping pong tables which were now set up for beer pong.

Toshiro signed seeing Grimmjow and one of his mates standing on the otherside of the table, challenging eyebrow raised. Toshiro had to compete for two reasons – one, because he didn't want Karin to think he wasn't going to spend time with her now that he had a girlfriend, and two, because he had a bit of pride to win back against Grimmjow following his horrific slopestyle embarrassment (AKA the very public crash).

Thankfully, it was a quick victory. Toshiro wasn't mucking around, plus he had the sober advantage Grimmjow's team didn't, though he doubted Grimmjow knew it. Within five minutes, Toshiro had gotten them to sink all ten beers on their end. Karin cheered in victory – despite having not sunk a single ball herself and Toshiro rolled his eyes as she ended up drinking all the beer on their side anyway as if it was the prize for winning, not the punishment for losing.

Karin stumbled off happy, her eyes locked on a woman from team Nigeria, and Toshiro somehow ended up in a bit of a rap battle with Ikkaku. He regretted joining it the moment they started – he was far too sober for this – because Ikkaku, determined to win back some pride from his defeat for the gold, had him in spades. Mostly, it was jibes about his height, but Toshiro wasn't afraid to pull out the bald jokes, which only seemed to spur Ikkaku on to bring out the Australian insults.

"Don't worry, Handsome," Yumichika beamed at thoroughly defeated Toshiro from the sidelines, "you've won 'Yumichikia's Instagram Hottie of the Year' award."

"I what?" Toshiro spluttered, mid rap and turned to Yumichika, disbelief on his face.

Yumichika just nodded enthusiastically and showed him the God forsaken Calvin Klein underwear shot of Toshiro that he had reposted from Rangiku. The Instagram caption had Toshiro dying a little inside.

** YASchika**  
_My competition never looked so good (heart eyes) #YumichikasInstagramHottieOfTheYearAward #TheBulge #fuckmepls #Rukiayouluckybitch_

Thankfully, Toshiro was saved from choking out a reply as suddenly he was attacked by a flying hug from behind.

"Did you miss me?" Rukia – who had been gone for ten minutes and yet it felt like a life time – whispered lowly in his ear.

She had run and jumped onto his back, the snowboarder catching her despite his surprise and only stumbling a little as she piggy backed him.

"Like you would not believe," Toshiro exhaled in relief as Yumichika and Ikkaku lost interest in him and instead turned to having argument with a Welsh man over the rugby – Ikkaku was into the sport, Yumichika was just into the little shorts they wore.

Rukia slid off his back then and Toshiro turned to face her. They wasted no time in reconnecting, this time with their lips, as Toshiro cupped her cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist to draw her in.

Twelve hours, that's all they had left, and most of it they would probably sleep through.

_No fuck that_, they could sleep on the plane. Tonight was their last night together.

"Stay up with me," Toshiro murmured when they broke apart. "Let's watch the sunrise together."

Rukia's answer was another passionate kiss that he took to be a yes.

And so it was decided, they would be pulling an all-nighter. They never made an agreement about it, but neither them told any of their friends their plans. Toshiro assumed Rukia felt the same way he did about it; he wanted it to be their own time. As fun as it was spending the night with their friends and family, it was their last night together and they did want to spend a part of it just the two of them.

They didn't need to worry though. As the night continued, the other athletes, including their friends, seemed to weed out. The couples were the first to go, clearly wanting to claim a hotel room and get it on. Karin had been put to bed hours ago, when she accidently threw up on the Nigerian woman and Isshin was called to come down and grab her. Gin and Rangiku disappeared shortly after that, then Ichigo and Renji. Soi Fon left 'with some hot chick' as Steve the speed skater (who surprised many when he took a gold medal after everyone else in his race fell down on the final corner) put it, and Yuzu and Jinta left last when Yuzu finally became too tired to continue. They were the only couple that wasn't getting ripped apart tomorrow, and they were young and energetic but eventually they wore out.

Toshiro and Rukia were exhausted too, but they had the motivation to stay up that the others didn't. So, sometime around four in the morning, they were the last to leave the bar – in fact they had to be kicked out by the management in the end. Before that, they were allowed one last song and of course they chose 'Rewrite the Stars' – their karaoke song. They didn't have microphones because the karaoke wasn't set up but it didn't stop them singing it loudly and proudly. It was just the two of them left after all, and a couple of the staff trying to clean up around them.

Eventually they were booted from the bar though and that's when Toshiro led Rukia around to the front of the village to the large Olympic Rings he and Rangiku had played on their first day here, before Toshiro had even met Rukia or any of the Irish team.

That's how they ended up inside the top middle ring, Toshiro laying on his back and Rukia straddling his hips as she curled herself into him.

It was fucking cold, that was for sure, and the temptation to get a blanket was real, but Ichigo and Renji had claimed Toshiro's room and Soi Fon had taken her mystery woman back to Rukia's. Goodness knows where Gin and Rangiku had ended up.

With no blanket, but thankfully still wearing their full snow uniforms, Rukia and Toshiro curled together and tried to warm up through a steamy make out session. It helped a little, but ultimately they didn't care about the cold because it was all worth it to spend the night together.

Fortunately, they found a good way to stay warm.

"You're fingers are so fucking cold," Rukia hissed when Toshiro snuck them inside her shirt.

"I know," Toshiro chuckled, "I'm trying to warm them up."

"Well I know where you can put them for that," Rukia's tone suddenly changed and Toshiro smirked, knowing exactly what she wanted.

They changed positions. Rukia laid on her back and Toshiro tried to make himself as comfortable as possible beside her without falling out of the giant ring.

He leaned down and kissed her, her lips immediately opening for him, inviting him into her hot mouth. It was exactly where he wanted to be, the warmth from their kiss slowly spreading over their bodies and taking the chill out of the air.

Slowly, Toshiro's fingers worked their way down and the Irish woman gasped into the kiss when the first finger slipped inside her.

He didn't waste time sticking the second in, wanting to hear that delicious gasp again and he wasn't disappointed.

He adjusted his position a little, making sure to have his back blocking any view if someone happened to glance out their window. At four in the morning it was unlikely, and almost too dark to see anyway. Still, only Toshiro should get the view of what was happening.

When he stuck the third finger in, he was rewarded with a moan and small arch of Rukia's back.

"Feel good?" Toshiro asked, dipping down to kiss her neck, and Rukia moaned lowly in response.

Toshiro knew they couldn't really have proper intercourse out here, it was a logistical nightmare. He wasn't even sure he could get hard in these temperatures because it was a fuck load colder than when Rukia had sucked him off with a bit of ice in her mouth. Even if he could, he doubted Rukia would want to take her pants off long enough for them both to climax. Still, he could get her off in other ways, and that's when he decided to start pressing his thumb against her clit.

They kissed as he continued to work at her entrance, and Rukia tried to stifle her moans. When she came undone, Toshiro stroked her gently through it, her fist clutching his jacket desperately. She curled into him while she recovered, and Toshiro held her close, eventually removing his wet fingers from inside her and deciding to lick them clean. It was his last taste of her for a while so he wanted to savour it.

"I'll get you back in a sec," she breathed heavily.

Toshiro kissed her temple softly. "Don't worry about it. It's too cold."

The ice skater didn't seem to love that idea of leaving him untouched but she conceded anyway, obviously the post-climax chill was swinging back with a vengeance.

It suddenly seemed like a bad place to try and do an all-nighter, and when Rukia continued to shiver, Toshiro called time on it.

"Come on," he tugged her back into a sitting position. "Let's go inside."

She resisted at first but Toshiro got her moving when he promised they were still going to stay awake and would come back out when the sun was actually set to rise. They were only going back inside to wait out the freezing cold and darkness.

They headed into the lobby of Toshiro's hotel. The reception was active twenty four hours a day and didn't seem to mind as Toshiro and Rukia curled up together on one of the lounges.

Their fingers intertwined as they snuggled together in the warmth, fighting to stay awake.

It was both hard and easy; hard because they were so warm and comfortable, but easy because they were able to just talk and talk for hours.

"What's your favourite colour?" Toshiro asked Rukia at one point.

"Teal," Rukia answered instantly.

"Teal?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow, nobody ever said teal. Turquoise maybe.

"Yeah," Rukia hummed, her fingers lazily playing with his. "It's a new favourite."

He smiled a little at that, her words implying it was his eye colour she liked, possibly her favourite now because of that. Toshiro kissed her crown.

"Mine is lime green," he poked her side playfully, earning a yelp from her. "It's also a new favourite."

It was not his favourite at all, but he definitely couldn't look at the colour without being reminded of team Ireland so now it would always hold a special spot in his heart.

Rukia laughed and curled into him.

"I don't want to go," she sighed sadly, getting real for a minute. "I don't want to go back to that empty apartment."

Toshiro grimaced; he didn't want her going home to an empty apartment either. Maybe he could order some flowers and have them sent there for when she got home? It wasn't the same as having someone there with her but maybe she would feel like he was still with her, even if it was just a little bit. He made a mental note to arrange that when he was on airport Wi-Fi later that day.

"It won't be for long," Toshiro reminded her. "You'll miss your privacy after two weeks in Australia with my family."

"No I won't," Rukia sighed after a moment, and Toshiro pulled her in closer.

He prayed they could make this long-distance thing work. He had never wanted something so much, not even the gold medal he had lusted after for so long.

Toshiro did his best to cheer her up, or at least drive her focus away from their now stressfully little time left. He got her talking about her memories with Gin and Renji, about skating competitions and even high school at one point. He borrowed paper and pens from the receptionist and they played naughts and crosses and an Olympics-themed hangman.

Eventually he had her smiling and giggling again and soon enough, the night-time hours past and Toshiro and Rukia had talked all night long. Dawn was starting to set in outside, and Toshiro and Rukia hurried back out to the Olympic Rings to watch the sun come up over the mountain.

Thankfully the canteen was back open for a final breakfast and they were able to swing by for a hot coffee on the way.

Settling back inside the top middle ring again, Toshiro sat with Rukia in between his legs, her back against his chest, one arm wrapped securely around her waist, while the other nursed his rapidly cooling coffee.

"Oh it's so beautiful," Rukia gasped lowly nodding to the sun that was starting to poke its' way out from behind the mountain.

Toshiro hummed and nodded but the real view was drinking coffee in his lap right now.

She wasn't wrong though. It was a beautiful sight, even if the mountains did obscure a lot of it. It was a clear day so they were lucky enough to get some of the colours in the sky; the beautiful yellows and pale pinks, a hint of light orange and the faintest of purples. It was gorgeous and well worth the below zero temperature they had to sit through to see it. Toshiro held Rukia close to stay warm; he couldn't believe how lucky he was to be where he was.

He also snapped a quick picture before his phone battery died – he was a slut for a good nature photo.

Eventually, the sun came up a little too much, and Byakuya was calling Rukia's phone to get her to come back and pack.

Rukia groaned as she hung up the phone and Toshiro rubbed soothing circles into her hips.

"We better go pack," Toshiro encouraged Rukia back up. "My dad will be after me soon too, if he has tried to call already."

His phone was well and truly dead now.

What was it with fathers – or old brothers/fatherly figures – who were desperate to get to the airport ridiculously early? They still had four hours until their flight – Rukia had five hours until hers.

"I'll meet you there?" Rukia asked as Toshiro walked her back to her hotel.

"I'll text you what gate we're at," Toshiro agreed.

He kissed her at her hotel door, and waved her off as she slipped inside, sighing deeply as she was removed from his sight.

That goodbye was bad enough and it wasn't even the real thing yet.

How was he supposed get on a plane without her? How was he supposed to leave her to go back to an empty apartment alone?

Oh yeah, he was going to get emotional for sure. He hoped he could save it for the plane though.

…

Waiting at the airport felt as shit as Toshiro expected it would. It was like waiting for an exam to start or to give a speech in class – he just wished that time would stop and the eleven o'clock plane departure time never came.

It seemed Rangiku and Ichigo were in the same boat, the three of them looking miserable as they sat at the gate together, their breakfast hardly touched. They weren't talking, just tapping away at their phones to their respective partners, and Toshiro managed to get those flowers ordered – tulips because they were Rukia's favourite, and he got them in lime green because Toshiro was a bit of a cheeky bastard and he hoped he could make her laugh.

"Social bunch, you lot are," Kukaku commented dryly.

"I remember when I had to leave Masaki at the airport after our Olympics," Isshin sympathised. "We didn't have phones back then and email wasn't really a thing."

"How did you communicate?" Rangiku asked, raising her eyes from her phone for a moment.

"Letters, mostly," Isshin shrugged, "but it would take weeks for them arrive. On her birthday, I sent her a telegram."

"A telegram," Ichigo scoffed. "You're so old."

Thankfully any retort from Isshin was interrupted as Karin stood with a sigh, slinging her carry-on bag over her shoulder.

"My plane is boarding," she told them with a frown. "I've gotta go."

Karin was going back to Germany to finish her season. She was coming back home for a month in April, conveniently during Rukia's planned visit, before she was to jet over to the USA to star her new contract in Chicago.

Toshiro stood and hugged her quickly, jumping in before anyone else.

"I'll miss you," he murmured, "but I'll see you soon."

"Don't forget our deal," Karin reminded him sternly. "Message me every day."

"I will," Toshiro squeezed her tightly. "I love you, Sis."

"I love you too," Karin murmured back.

He kissed her on the cheek and let her go with a weak smile as Yuzu was next to jump in to farewell her twin. Karin got through everyone before she waved and ran off to her gate.

Already Toshiro was starting to feel the emotions building and he was dreading saying goodbye to Rukia too. His phone buzzed then and Toshiro glanced down at it.

**Rukia, 9:33am:** _We just got through security, where are you? Xx_

Toshiro typed back quickly.

**Toshiro, 9:34am**: _Gate 20, Beautiful (red heart)_

Within two minutes she was there, running up to him while Byakuya rolled along two carry-on suitcases behind her, and the rest of team Ireland followed quickly. Toshiro caught Rukia as she flew into his arms.

"I missed you," she murmured.

"Me too," Toshiro chuckled – they had only been apart about two hours now, but he felt it. It wasn't looking promising for the next month they were about to spend apart.

Beside them, Rangiku was already in tears but thankfully Gin was holding her close and doing his best to comfort her. Ichigo and Renji were curled up together on the seats with expressions of resigned acceptance – this was not their first rodeo but apparently it never got much easier.

"Come on," Toshiro released Rukia slowly. "Let's go get a coffee."

She nodded quickly, apparently not wanting to sit around and dwell with the rest of them, and they walked off, hand in hand, towards the cafes but before they reached them, she was quickly tugging him around the corner and into a vacant handicap bathroom.

"Wha-" Toshiro began but was immediately cut off when Rukia slammed him against the door and crushed her lips to his, the sound of the door locking registered vaguely in Toshiro's mind.

Rukia sucked the life out of him, her tongue down his throat and nails on his skin, her hips rolling against his.

She pulled away suddenly and Toshiro was dazed trying to catch up to what was going on.

"Quickly," Rukia laughed, her hands at his jeans and working open his fly.

"You want to do this here?" Toshiro hissed as she pulled his cock out of his boxers and began to stroke it.

"It's our last chance," Rukia reminded him. "Plus it will make a great Never Have I Ever question down the track."

"Never Have I Ever had sex in an airport bathroom?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow.

"_Drink,"_ Rukia told him and he rolled his eyes.

He wasn't sure how comfortable he was with it, especially being in a handicap bathroom at the airport. It was wrong on a number of levels but that also made it kind of thrilling, and Rukia was irresistible.

"We don't have to," Rukia offered softly. "I know you said I didn't have to get you back, but I want to. I want to give you a proper farewell."

Toshiro sighed; it was going to be a long time before they would get a chance to do it again.

He nodded and drew Rukia in, kissing her slowly. It didn't take long to get the heat back and thankfully they weren't interrupted at any point. This bathroom was fairly secluded so he doubted people used it often. Thankfully, for the same reason, the room clean.

Rukia's hand was working magic on his cock to get it hard, and soon Toshiro forgot about where they were. He slipped his own hand in Rukia's pants to get her ready for him.

They were silent as they worked, even though their pants were almost uncontrollable and their faces were strained with keeping the moans in.

It didn't take long to have Rukia worked open enough for Toshiro's three fingers and the woman had to let go of his cock in order to grasp Toshiro's shoulders to stay steady.

"Let's not waste any more time," Rukia gasped quietly and pulled her pants all the way off, stepping out of them.

Toshiro lifted her on the sink bench and stood between her legs. Thankfully, the bench was lowered for a wheelchair user and sat at the perfect height for Toshiro's groin to line up with Rukia's on the bench.

"I have lube," Rukia pulled a small travel bottle out of her jacket pocked, since they were still dressed from the waist up.

Toshiro took it and quickly lathered himself up before lining up with her entrance and slowly sinking in.

"Yes," Rukia hissed softly as he sunk deeper.

"Are you ready?" Toshiro asked once he was fully embedded in her.

"Fuck me," Rukia whispered in his ear, biting the lobe a bit.

So Toshiro did.

He began thrusting, slowly at first, but quicker with Rukia's demands. She held his shoulders and he held her hips as he drove himself into her over and over again. Again, they worked silently, only the faint pants and slapping of skin could be heard but it was quiet enough that Toshiro doubted anyone on the otherside of the door could hear.

Rukia's moans were replaced with her nails digging harder into his skin, possibly enough to draw blood but Toshiro's didn't stop.

He was getting closer and couldn't wait for Rukia to join him so he decided to press his thumb against her clit to bring her orgasm forward.

"F-fuck," she hissed quietly.

"I'm coming," Toshiro grunted, voice low.

"I'm al-almost th-there."

Toshiro was already seeing stars and rubbed her clit more ferociously as he continued to thrust through his orgasm and Rukia came undone silently around him.

For a moment, they stayed in the same position, breathless and panting but someone's phone buzzed from their pile of trousers by the door and it reminded them they had to be getting back soon.

Toshiro kissed Rukia softly before he pulled away.

"I'm glad we did that," he whispered to her.

"Me too," she smiled softly back.

They cleaned up quickly and redressed, Rukia poking her head out of the door first and when no one was waiting outside they emerged together, fixing their clothes and hair as they went. By the time they reached the café, it was like nothing had ever happened. Or it would have been, if Rukia could stop giggling.

"I'm sorry," she laughed, lowering her voice. "We just fucked at the airport."

"Do you think anyone noticed?" Toshiro asked but Rukia shook her head.

"Who cares anyway?" she shrugged. "It's our last hour together."

That was a confronting reminder that Toshiro certainly didn't need.

As it turned out, the phone that had buzzed was Toshiro's and it was Rangiku asking him to pick up a couple of lattes for her and Gin as well. Well he had better oblige lest he rouse suspicion when he and Rukia returned without coffees.

They lined up and Toshiro pulled out his Keep Cup read to use, and to his surprise, Rukia pulled out a matching cup.

"You have a Keep Cup?" Toshiro asked, eyes wide with excitement when he saw it.

"Yeah I got one on the way here," she smiled back at him. "I got it because of you."

Toshiro's heart melted – Rukia cared about what he cared about, simply because he cared about it.

"You're my dream girl," he muttered with a laugh and Rukia grinned with satisfaction.

He ordered the coffees for them and for Rangiku and Gin, and upon receiving them, they hurried back to the group.

"Sorry it took so long," Toshiro said, handing over Rangiku and Gin's coffees. "The queue was huge."

"I bet it was," Rangiku's lips twitched, her eyes knowing and Toshiro ran away quickly – Rangiku was like a blood hound who could sniff out sex from miles away.

He and Rukia claimed some seats and curled up together with their coffees. Around the gate, the couples were getting cosy, and the coaches all sat together reminiscing about the 'old days'. Byakuya, who was younger than them by far but older than the athletes, somehow slipped into what looked like easy conversation with Isshin, which Toshiro was extremely glad for. He supposed they had a bit in common, given though were both effectively single fathers and coaches to their kids. Well, Byakuya was technically a brother but Toshiro knew there was a bit of a fatherly feeling between him and Rukia.

The rest of the gate eventually got busier as the rest of team Australia filed in from wherever they had been, some dreading going home, some excited to get back to their loved ones. Some had family with them and were introducing them to their friends on the team, others were asleep on chairs.

Other passengers came closer to boarding time and eventually the whole gate was full, with many people sitting on the carpeted ground. There was circle of athletes on the ground not far from Toshiro playing a very loud game of Uno, and Yuzu and Jinta had joined it. It looked like fun but Toshiro didn't want to waste any of his last moments with Rukia, so he stayed where he was, holding her close as they drank their coffees and talked about their upcoming world championships.

"Mine are in Sierra Nevada this year," Toshiro told Rukia. "Spain actually has great mountains so I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll be in Japan," Rukia told him, eyes bright with excitement.

Toshiro smiled, knowing how much Rukia loved Japan. She had friends there and could speak the language.

"It would be cool if my worlds were there instead," Toshiro sighed. "The mountains there are great and we have so many Japanese riders now."

They had discussed dates and their competitions were only a day or so a part, meaning neither could make the other's event due to training and travel times, but they would be able to watch it live from their hotel rooms which was at least something.

"Maybe we could do a trip there together one day?" Rukia offered, almost shyly. "You can show me the mountains and I'll show you my favourite spots on the ground."

A grin broke out on Toshiro's face as he leaned in to kiss her. It was promising that she wanted to plan trips with him already and honestly, it sounded like the perfect destination for both of them.

"I can't wait, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured and Rukia smiled back.

Eventually the time they had been dreading reared its' ugly head. The flight attendants announced that they were now boarding and people stood to line up. Toshiro grimaced but made no move to get up yet. The line was long, it would take several minutes to get everyone though and Toshiro was sure as Hell going to be the last one leave.

"Alright, we have to go," Isshin stood when the line got down to the last few people.

Toshiro signed deeply and stood, pulling Rukia up with him. Her eyes were a bit glassy and he couldn't look at them so he pulled her in and kissed her deeply.

He couldn't leave her. He just couldn't. Someone was going to have to pull them apart.

He heard his father calling his name, as well as Rangiku's and Ichigo's name as he seemed to struggle to get them all away from their partners.

Rukia pulled away from the kiss and buried her face in Toshiro's chest, her arms like pythons around his middle, apparently not willing to let go of him either.

"I'll video call when I get home," Toshiro assured her, voice thick, "It won't be for another thirty hours or so, but I promise as soon as I can call, I will."

"I know," Rukia nodded, but did nothing to let her go.

Now the line was completely gone and the flight attendants were glaring at them, telling Isshin they had to hurry up and board or they would have to leave without them.

"Toshiro, now!" Isshin's commanding voice called but Toshiro didn't move.

"Rukia, let him go," Byakuya's calm voice followed but Rukia didn't move.

Eventually Toshiro felt his father's familiar arm slip between them and pull Toshiro back while another pulled Rukia away and when Toshiro glanced up he saw Byakuya holding Rukia as Toshiro was lifted off the ground and pulled away.

Toshiro and Rukia's hands slipped through each other as they reach out desperately but they were yanked apart too quickly.

"One month," Toshiro reminded her.

"Call me," Rukia tossed back and Toshiro nodded quickly.

Isshin didn't seem to trust Toshiro enough to let him go so Toshiro was carried off.

"Okay that's one," Isshin muttered to himself and Toshiro soon found Ichigo being caught in the same burly hold as Isshin pulled him out of Renji's grasp. "There's two. Rangiku, don't make me handle you too."

Toshiro saw the strawberry blonde pout before Gin kissed her cheek and let her go and Rangiku wandered over to them, shoulders hunched and sulking.

"That's three," Isshin counted, still refusing to let his sons go.

"Four and five," Kukaku added, patting Yuzu and Jinta on the head from where they were getting their boarding passes scanned and heading onto the plane.

"Perfect," Isshin sighed, "That's all the kids."

"Oh yeah?" Ichigo snorted from Isshin's other arm. "What about her?"

Isshin turned and Toshiro was swung around to see Yoruichi making out heavily with Soi Fon of all people.

Toshiro grimaced – that was his god mother, he didn't need to see that.

"Yoruichi!" Isshin snapped. "Here I am rounding up all the kids and you're over here doing this. You're supposed to be a role model."

"Ah you know me, Isshin," Yoruichi pulled back from her steamy kiss. "I can't resist an Irish accent."

If Toshiro could see Isshin's face, he was sure it was livid.

"Get on the plane," Isshin gritted before offering out Ichigo, "and come take your athlete."

"He's your kid," Yoruichi scoffed but Isshin's expression was not one to be argued with.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes before giving Soi Fon a smack on the ass and a flirty wink, the Irish woman bright red. She turned then and marched back to the plane, grabbing Ichigo from Isshin by his wrist and dragging the skier through to the plane, barely stopping to show their boarding passes.

Isshin sighed deeply and sent Rangiku through to the plane.

"Go," Isshin told her. "Now."

Rangiku waved to Gin and blew him a kiss but it lost it's flirt as she was sobbing in between. Toshiro sighed, know those tears were going to soak his sleeve once they were sat next to each other the plane. She disappeared around the corner and Isshin sighed deeply.

Looking far too relaxed in their seats, Jushiro Ukitake and Kisuke Urahara chuckled.

"I remember watching your coach try and separate you and Masaki at the airport," Jushiro smiled fondly. "It took both countries' bobsled teams to separate you two."

"Now, your kids doing it to you," Kisuke added with a laugh. "Karma, right?"

"Thankfully he's not as strong as I was," Isshin pinched Toshiro's cheek.

"Hey," Toshiro pouted. It wasn't his fault he was adopted and he didn't get the burly Shiba genes.

"Say goodbye," Isshin told him, as he fished around for their boarding passes and carried Toshiro to the gate.

It was an embarrassing image to leave Rukia on, Toshiro being carried away by his father, his feet not even touching the ground, but his last glimpse of Rukia showed her still in Byakuya's hold, teary but laughing.

"I'll miss you," he called out.

"I'll miss you too!" Rukia called back and for a moment there, Byakuya seemed to almost lose his grip on her as she reached out for Toshiro, despite the now rather large distance gap.

"See you in Oz, Beautiful," Toshiro managed to smirk and wink.

He only just caught Rukia's smile before he disappeared around the corner and down the corridor to the plane entry, but it was an image that he would remember forever. It was going to get him through the long plane journey home and through the next month until he and Rukia could be reunited once.

…

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_OMG EVERYONE TO __** Toshhiba**__'S INSTAGRAM STORY! HE AND RUKIA ARE WEARING EACH OTHER'S BEANIES I CAN'T-_

** Toshiupdates**  
_Omg he looks so happy *sobs*_

** ShibaSibsAreLyf**  
_#IreAussie! Did you see them holding hands at the closing ceremony?! (heart eyes)_

** Toshiupdates**  
_** ShibaSibsAreLy**__f so fucking cute!_

** ToshiroFan1234**  
_GUUYSSSS __** YuzuAU **__is going live on her Instagram! #IreAussie are together and partying xD_

_** SwagItMatsumoto**_  
_OH MY GOSH, Rangiku and Gin are cuddling! This is FIRE (fire)_

** IreAussieBabe**  
_This is the best thing that has ever happened in the history of things happening! I'm crying omg the feels are too much! I love these dorks (heart) (crying face)_

…

**We have two epilogues to follow! Please review if you get a chance, it means the world to us.**


	13. Epilogue: Jindabyne

March was… _difficult_, to say the least, but it didn't come without its rewards.

A bronze medal on the slopestyle at Worlds, for one.

Grimmjow stole the show of course, coming back hungrily after his defeat in St Moritz. Yumichika walked away with the silver which he saw as better than gold apparently.

"This is going to match my jewellery!" the New Zealander squealed excitedly, gripping Toshiro's arm as his name slotted in second place on the final leader board.

Toshiro had pinched the bronze, somehow, despite the A- Class list of competitors he had been up against. To be fair, he was just glad to have finished his runs.

He would be lying if he said the slopestyle didn't leave him nervous after his accident at the Olympics, when he had hit his head so hard on the compact ice that he had lost consciousness and cracked the back of his helmet. There was an element of that fear that held him back, and that held Isshin back from pushing him too hard on the course during training. Toshiro suspected his father was a little frightened of another accident too.

Still, with his mind far clearer and the support of his girlfriend and family, Toshiro managed to get back on the course and tidy up his run. He got through his runs in the finals in one piece and it was enough to claim third place.

He was ecstatic, and it was enough to forget the loneliness he had been feeling without Rukia by his side, even for just the smallest of moments.

"Congratulations!" Rukia had all but screamed over the phone when had called her straightaway in his excitement, before even the medal ceremony.

"I can't believe it," Toshiro had chuckled back. He hadn't even been sure he was ever going to compete in the event again after the Olympics.

"You deserved it," Rukia said into the phone, quieter and with an obvious smile in her voice. "I watched it and it was a brilliant run. I'm so proud you, Rangiku too for getting the silver."

Toshiro beamed into the phone, though they hadn't put their cameras on for the quick call, so she wouldn't have seen it.

Rangiku had indeed taken silver again, while Tatsuki clawed her way back to the top of the heap and Nanao claimed the bronze.

"Thanks, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured back. A few metres away, Isshin was gesturing him over to get ready for the medal ceremony. "I've got to go now, but I'll call you tomorrow night your time?"

He had a cheeky surprise for that particular call.

"I look forward to it," the Irish voice almost purred, though the skater did seem tired, which would be right since it was late in Japan and Rukia had trained all day.

"Goodnight," Toshiro farewelled. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," Rukia sounded a bit sadder then, but they both did.

Like he said, March was difficult.

It had been a month since Toshiro had to be physically pulled away from Rukia at the Swiss airport.

Isshin had Toshiro training all day every day, to try and get his son's mind off his new girlfriend and back in the zone for the Snowboarding World Championships. Toshiro was grateful for the distraction of the competition, but still he missed Rukia every single minute of the day.

He spoke to the Irish figure skater daily, usually. When they couldn't call each other, they left voice clips for the other to catch up on. It wasn't as good, but it was still nice for Toshiro to hear her voice. It also meant, when he was stressed with the upcoming Worlds, or about being on the otherside of the Earth from Rukia, he was able to scroll back up through their chat and find her latest audio clip, her voice smoothing him back to calm.

Even when she was complaining about her routine, or the other skaters, or her brother's lack of flirting game (Rukia had been trying to set him up with various women since they had grown closer), her voice was still beautiful. Even when Rukia was half asleep first thing in the morning and her voice was hoarse from sleep and her sentences weren't strung all the way together, she still sounded so gorgeous.

Being away from her was incredibly hard.

March was _hard._

But it wouldn't last forever. That was what Toshiro had to remind himself of every day. With each day of training and competition completed, he was a day closer to heading back to Australia to his home and his family, and once he was there, he knew it wouldn't be long until Rukia's visit.

Rukia was due to visit once their respective competition seasons had finished. She was to visit at the beginning of April with Gin and Renji, who were also coming to visit their own Aussie lovers, though Toshiro hardly cared about that – Ichigo and Rangiku still saw their boyfriends regularly. Gin being a snowboard cross competitor, meant his competitions were held alongside Rangiku and Toshiro's halfpipe and slopestyle, and similarly, Renji and Ichigo's aerial skiing events were also held at the same venue, just a few days later.

It was lonely though, especially for Toshiro who sat surrounded by the other couples, the perpetual third or fifth wheel. Though he did seem to get away with it more with Gin and Rangiku, as Gin appeared to be putting in a decent effort to become better friends with Toshiro, but whether that was for Rangiku or Rukia's sake, Toshiro didn't know. Maybe it was both, or maybe it was neither and Gin genuinely liked him as guy friend.

It was cool to have someone to skateboard with again though, since Rangiku had mostly given that up in favour of being hungover.

Sometimes Ichigo hung out with him, since they were getting along better these days. It was nice, though they didn't have much in common anymore.

Isshin had allowed Ichigo to share a room with Renji at Worlds, and Rangiku to room with Gin, so that was how Toshiro ended up sleeping alone in a single room.

Isshin had offered to share with him, since the father didn't really love leaving Toshiro alone with his thoughts in the post-Olympic Slopestyle Crash era, but Toshiro politely declined. At the end of the day, he was a young male with his girlfriend on the phone most evenings – his father didn't need to witness that.

Masturbation had taken a whole new level, it had since the first night Toshiro spent with Rukia. Now though, with her on camera, legs spread wide for him and calling his name, Toshiro's own hand on himself didn't feel so pathetic.

Phone sex was about as close as he got to Rukia these days.

From the Olympics, she had gone back to Ireland to train for a few weeks before heading to Japan for Worlds. Toshiro had headed back to Canada for the snow to train with Isshin and Rangiku (and of course Ichigo and Yoruichi), but their Worlds competition was to be held in Sierra Nevada, Spain.

Trust fate to send him to a competition in Europe when his European girlfriend had a competition in Asia, which was unfairly close to Australia.

Still, they managed with their phones calls, and with their _other_ phone calls.

Especially the one the day after he had won his slopestyle bronze.

He had been feeling particularly proud and confident with himself.

It had been the night before Rukia's free skate finals, which meant she was particularly horny and needy for that intimacy she craved as a relaxant.

Toshiro had sent a little gift to help with that, but she wasn't allowed to open until she had him on the phone to watch.

She was growing severely impatient, which was why Toshiro waited until it was bang on the agreed calling time before he started the call, despite not doing anything for the twenty minutes prior.

"I've been waiting ages," Rukia's tone was unimpressed as she seemed to barely hold herself back from cutting over his greeting.

"I said I'd call you at twelve p.m.!" Toshiro exclaimed, like he didn't know what he was doing.

"Yes and that was far too long to have to wait for," Rukia frowned, too frustrated to see he was teasing her just a little.

"You had practice and dinner beforehand!" he pointed out innocently.

"Don't go blaming me," she glared death at him and Toshiro had to purse his lips to keep from laughing out loud

"Frustrated?" he asked, though he knew the answer

"And horny," Rukia groaned, "but you already know that."

He did know that. And so was he for the record, but he got a lot of pleasure out of seeing his girlfriend squirm for him.

The Irish skater flopped back onto her pillow uselessly causing Toshiro to smirk before he got up from the chair he had been sitting in and arranged some things around the room – closing the curtains, locking the door, whatever else.

He could have done these all before he called of course, especially since he hadn't been busy, but it was more fun this way.

"Sorry," Toshiro apologised to Rukia when he returned, though he felt a twinge in his pants at the expression on her face – horny, frustrated, and almost desperate.

"It's okay," Rukia huffed against her pillow.

"You didn't open your present yet did you?" Toshiro asked and Rukia shook her head. "Okay then, go get it."

The woman hurriedly got up and retrieved the present from somewhere off camera.

Toshiro had also sent flowers and in the corner of the screen, he saw them sitting in a vase, brightening the room. He was going to take it a habit of sending her flowers before every competition, just like he had sent her those purple tulips before her Olympic short programme finals. Though with the end of the season approaching, he was going to have to wait until next season to get that habit going, not that he wouldn't send her flowers for other occasions too.

Rukia return to the screen, gift box in hand, already ripping open the wrapping paper.

"A vibrator?" Rukia asked when she pulled the item out, confusion in her eyes.

"Not just any vibrator," Toshiro corrected cheekily as he picked up his phone.

Still confused, Rukia's eyes went back to the instructions on the box as Toshiro opened the relevant app. See, he had gotten her a wireless vibrator, two actually, one for inserting and the other for clit stimulation. Both of which he had connected to his phone which gave him the power of control over the item. Whether it was on or not, how fast it vibrated – it was all at his control; Rukia was at his mercy.

It had been Yukio's idea, which Toshiro mentioned to Rukia, though the skater seemed more interested in getting out the lube and wasting as little time as possible.

"It isn't nearly as thick as you are," she murmured, sizing up the device.

Toshiro's cheeks heated at that. He knew he had a thicker cock than most, but it was still something else to hear it said out loud, especially by Rukia and her lusting Irish tone.

He couldn't help but let his eyes roam over her. Her body was as perfect as he remembered, though it was annoying covered in clothes.

"Tonight I'm in charge," he stated lowly, regaining some control. "Take your clothes off, Beautiful."

He wanted a show.

Rukia obeyed, pushing her laptop back on the bed and kneeling before it on her knees.

"Shirt first," Toshiro murmured. "Slowly."

It was rare that Rukia gave control over to him, but tonight she was relenting.

Her slender arms crossed over her front, collecting the hem of her shirt and pulling it slowly over her head. Her muscles in her abdomen tightened and moved as she did, and Toshiro got a delicious view. How he wanted to wrap his arms around that toned waist.

Her bra was black and lacy. It hid her nipples from sight but that didn't stop Toshiro wanting to suck and pinch them any less.

"Pants," Toshiro ordered next, and even though Rukia generally referred to 'pants' as underwear and 'trousers' as pants, she knew what he meant.

It wasn't as graceful, but Toshiro found it even sexier as the jeans were stripped back to reveal a very lacy pair of red and black underwear with almost nothing to them. The pants were discarded and Rukia kneeled in front of the camera, her toned thighs looking utterly graspable, and though he couldn't see her ass from this angle, Toshiro knew it was there – rock hard and irresistible.

"Bra now," Toshiro leaned in a little closer. "Undo the clip and let it fall away."

Rukia did as she was told, her arm bending back to unhook the matching bra, before the thing bounced open, and the straps fell off her shoulders. The item fell away, and Rukia's beautiful chest was exposed to him. Petite and perky, just the way he had left them.

Toshiro shifted, feeling himself harden in his pants.

"Show me," he requested, and without saying the word, Rukia seemed to know what he was after. His favourite part of her body, sexually speaking.

The skater turned around, giving him a view of that delectable ass.

"Fuck," he groaned, his hand was in his hair, pulling his white locks to stop him from pulling his own dick. "I wish I was there."

"Me too," Rukia agreed, glancing at him over her shoulder.

Toshiro allowed himself a few minutes to take in the sight before him. She still had her underpants on, but as a lacy G-string, the item hid nothing at the back from view. It did however, make Toshiro extremely jealous of the thong string – what he wouldn't give to be between those cheeks right now.

"I want you to remove them," Toshiro managed eventually, voice almost hoarse and causing Rukia to visibly shudder on camera. "Slowly."

Rukia obeyed again, her fingers slipping under the waist of the lace elastic and stripping the back, painfully slowly.

"You know," Rukia chuckled as she slowly pulled the underwear away and shot him a knowing smirk, "if this were a real cam show I'd be asking you for a lot of money just now."

Toshiro's lips twinged.

"How about a bet?" he offered. It was a call back to how he had gotten her to go on that first initial date with him, when he had bet her that if he won his halfpipe heat at the Olympics, she would have to go out with him.

Unfortunately, the reminder didn't cause Rukia to reminisce in silence as she continued stripping. No, it caused her to burst out laughing. For several minutes. She literally fell to the side, curled over and howled with laughter, leaving Toshiro to lose sight of her perfect ass.

Eventually she stopped, when Toshiro complained about 'dying' from being so horny. She could probably relate to that.

The skater returned to her previous position, this time getting her underwear off without incident.

Toshiro gawked at her butt; no matter how often he saw it, it surprised him with our perfect it was. It was literally better than any of his dreams could ever come up with.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, just resisting reaching out to touch the screen. He knew it wouldn't help.

His cock was well hard now, and completely painful in his tight jeans. Unzipping the fly, he slide them off quickly, leaving himself in just his Calvin Klein boxers (the underwear company had recently sent him a new box of their underwear, since his modelling shot had gotten out into the Twittersphere and blown up across the world – Thanks to the evil 'Rukia and Rangiku Alliance' as Toshiro referred to it as).

"Were you getting uncomfortable?" Rukia smirked, knowing well enough.

Toshiro returned the smirk, "Just a little, hard to have a boner in jeans."

"Especially with a cock as big as yours," she threw him back at him, and Toshiro couldn't stop the heat in his cheeks returning.

Damn her, she was going to have to pay for that.

"Start with one finger," Toshiro ordered, recollecting his power and running with it before she could stop him again. "Slowly but trace it over your skin first, I want to watch."

Rukia followed his instruction, tracing not so gentle patterns into her skin as she dragged her finger nail over her ass seductively. How Toshiro wished to be that finger right now.

She adjusted her angle and inserted the first finger into herself, a slight exhale leaving her.

Toshiro watched with wide eyes, drinking it all in. It reminded him of their first night together, seeing her prepare herself for him. It had been the first time he had ever seen a woman touch herself, and it had been entirely magical, completely alluring.

It was hard not to touch himself too, but Toshiro held back, wanting to absorb every second of this moment. It would be excellent masturbation material later.

"That's it," Toshiro murmured, breaking the silence, when Rukia inserted the second finger.

The Irish woman shuddered, and Toshiro had to wonder if it was the finger or his voice that did that to her or perhaps it was both. It was a highly erotic situation.

She moved up to three soon after that, and Toshiro noted her speed increasing slightly as her desperation started to kick in.

"Are you touching yourself?" she asked breathlessly.

"No," Toshiro answered honestly.

She must not have believed him because she glanced over her shoulder at him to check. She seemed uncertain, and Toshiro assured her quickly that his attention was on her and her alone. He could wait for a moment.

Seemingly accepting that answer, Rukia continued to work herself open for the vibrator that was to follow.

"Don't forget your nipples and clit," Toshiro reminded her playfully.

This was his show after all.

"If you were here I wouldn't have to remember any of that," she sighed, pout ghosting on her lips.

"Babe if I was there you wouldn't even remember your name," Toshiro replied quickly, smug smirk on his lips. He knew Rukia liked his quick wit when it came, and she grinned at him.

"That was smooth."

"I'm pretty proud of it actually."

From there, Toshiro ordered Rukia onto her back. He wanted a new angle for when the vibrators came into place. Legs spread and on her back, playing gently with her own nipple, Rukia was a goddess. Toshiro sighed happily; how had he got so lucky?

"Time for the toy I think," Toshiro muttered when he could no longer stand it.

Rukia's agreeance was silent but instantaneous as she removed her fingers quickly and rolled over to reach the vibrator. Of course, she went for the big one.

"Not that one," Toshiro called, waiting until she was about to insert the thing. "The smaller one first."

It was cruel, and he half expected her to ignore him and proceed with the bigger one. He would never turn the vibrations on if she did that though, and Rukia must have realised that as she dropped the bigger vibrator and reached for the smaller one.

Once she had it up against her clit, Toshiro opened the app on his phone and activated the vibrations on a slow and gentle level.

Immediately Rukia groaned at the sensation, her head falling limp against the pillows.

It was incredible to watch. Toshiro tried to keep her on her toes, playing with the speeds and surprising her when he changed it suddenly. Her hips began to roll as if someone – hopefully she was imagining him – was actually thrusting it against her.

Groans became longing moans, and moans then became incoherent swearing – in multiple languages.

Well now, it seemed she was having too much fun. Toshiro couldn't have that just yet, so he silenced the vibrator, stopping it in a second.

Rukia really swore then, and Toshiro didn't need to speak the language to know it was her cursing him.

"English, Babe," he reminded her.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, teeth gritting as she lifted her head to glare at him.

"Because you were going to orgasm," Toshiro explained with a smirk, as though that should have been obvious. Rukia huffed, unimpressed.

_Come on, Baby, beg for me._

Toshiro felt confident enough with himself tonight to think he could do it.

If he could get bronze on the slopestyle, he could get his girlfriend to beg for an orgasm.

The glare did not leave those violet eyes, however, so Toshiro relented for a moment. His time would come eventually.

"Now you can use the other toy," he murmured and he had barely finished his sentence before Rukia was leaning over , snatching it up, and inserting it deep inside her.

Someone was impatient now, and maybe just enough to beg.

He humoured for a few minutes, turning the vibrations on and listening to her needy groans, but eventually he stopped it.

He wasn't leaving here until she begged.

To say Rukia was unhappy with this was an understatement.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she snapped, aggressively.

"Sorry." But he wasn't.

"No you're not," she groaned, desperate and impatient, furious but longing for him, "Toshiro!"

"Toshiro what?" he asked innocently.

"Turn it back on," she ordered, but it was Toshiro who made the orders tonight.

"Please?" he suggested and the glare that was sent his way was full of daggers, probably going right for his penis.

"Turn it back on," she growled, each word enunciated with fury.

"Not until you say please," he sighed, looking at his nails like they were more interesting than this conversation – a straight up Rangiku move. His best friend would be proud of his performance right now.

"I will hang up this call," Rukia threatened.

Toshiro snorted, "You can't do that, your hands are busy."

What was she going to do? Just hang up on him and fuck herself with an un-vibrating vibrator? She wouldn't be able to stand it – it wouldn't get her anywhere near as close as he could get her with the vibrations turned on.

Still, he humoured a moment longer, putting the vibrations back on to the lowest speed level.

It was enough to keep her hanging on, but not enough to drive her to orgasm. It would be almost more painful than no vibrations at all.

"Toshiro," she moaned, voice defeated, "please…"

That's what he wanted, and he wanted to hear it again. He wanted to hear the begging tone of Rukia breaking and giving herself completely over to him.

And it came.

"Please," she repeated, tone begging for release.

Well now, that wasn't so difficult?

In an instant, he sent both vibrators to the highest possible speed and Rukia cried out, her eyes clenching shut in pleasure.

Now that she was approaching orgasm the right way, Toshiro felt that he could give in to his own desires, because those desires were burning hot.

He pushed the laptop further away from him, giving Rukia a view as he pulled her favourite toy out of his boxers and stroked himself, applying lube as he went.

His movements were stroking up, as though he was stroking himself into her, and he noticed Rukia seemed to mirror this in how she thrusted the vibrator inside herself. Toshiro imagined himself inside that tight hot cavern, her body beneath him, her nails in her back, her hand in his hair and tugging.

Toshiro felt hot all over, and Rukia's flushed face pushed him further to the brink.

"To-Toshiro," she gasped when her orgasm finally hit, her body arching and shuddering.

It was all Toshiro needed to see to reach his own climax and shortly after, he came undone. His seed splashed on his chest and he saw white stars as he was blinded by his own orgasm for a moment.

"F-fuck," he gasped, breathless and panting, Rukia's wide violet eyes watching him closely.

She chuckled in agreement as she removed the toys from herself and tossed them off screen.

"That was a great gift," she murmured when they both came down from their highs.

"Yeah, it was," Toshiro exhaled, still feeling a bit breathless. His body and hair were covered in sweat, and he felt like he had run a thousand laps of a football field, yet he also knew it compared very little to the real thing.

He wished more than anything to be back inside her for real, not just in his imagination.

After that, their conversation turned light and conversational while they cleaned up around them. It wasn't awkward in the slightest, they were entirely comfortable.

They discussed their finals events tomorrow; Rukia had her free skate in morning (unfortunately in the middle of the night Toshiro's time, meaning he would have to miss the live covering), and Toshiro had his halfpipe that afternoon. He felt guilty that he wouldn't be able to watch Rukia's this time round, but they were both competitors and understood they needed substantial sleeps to be well rested on the day of their events.

Rukia made him promise to sleep instead of waking up for her performance, so Toshiro had relented.

She also made him promise not to masturbate at all until he saw her next week, when she flew in to Australia to visit him.

"It's just under a week," she had said when he questioned it. "I am sure you can cope."

Well Toshiro didn't know about that, but if that's what she wanted, then that's what he would do for her.

Plus, it would lead to very explosive sex when they reunited.

Satisfied with his agreeance, Rukia went about preparing herself for bed and Toshiro just watched, happy to feel like he was in the room with her for a moment. It became all too real that they were on opposite sides of the planet when she eventually snuggled into the covers, ready to sleep and Toshiro couldn't wrap his arms around her and hold her close.

That was the hardest, but it wasn't for much longer.

"Good night, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured, once the woman was asleep, and he closed his laptop gently.

One more week.

The rest of Toshiro's day involved halfpipe training, as the snowboarder met up with Rangiku and Isshin shortly after his call to Rukia. The Sierra Nevada halfpipe was shorter than that of the one in St Moritz, so both and Rangiku really had to tighten their runs to fit all five tricks in the pipe.

Isshin was working hard with Rangiku to work on new and improved tricks for her – though Rangiku hadn't been upset about losing the gold to Yachiru at the Olympics, she refused to lose her world title spot and was now working harder than Toshiro had seen her work before.

While Isshin worked with Rangiku, Toshiro was told to keep practising his run and make sure that switch backside 1260 was more reliable.

It was gruelling, but at least it took his mind off wishing he was holding Rukia in bed while she slept right now.

Climbing into bed that night, he was tired and sore, but he managed to send off a good luck text for Rukia to see when she woke up. He hated that he was going to miss her performance, but he had to sleep before his finals tomorrow.

He called her the moment he woke up in the morning.

"Hey," she answered brightly, as it was probably after lunchtime in Japan by now.

"How did it go?" Toshiro asked sleepily.

"Got the gold," she answered, and he heard the grin in her voice.

"Congratulations, Beautiful!" Toshiro sat up, smiling into the phone and forgetting he was tired. "Walk me through it."

He slid out of bed and popped the phone on speaker, so he could dress and listen at the same time. Rukia walked him through every moment of the finals.

She had landed the Quad Lutz again, so smoothly that it gained her a fourteen point lead on her competitors. Toshiro knew that was a huge gap at that level, and no doubt he was going to get Yuzu screaming down the phone at him about it soon.

"You're amazing," Toshiro murmured, picking back up the phone now that he was dressed in his newest Quiksilver competition gear.

"So are you," Rukia mumbled back and Toshiro would bet she was blushing at that comment.

He missed making her blush and seeing the pink spread over her cheeks for himself.

"Good luck today," she cleared her throat and continued. "Byakuya and I will be watching."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too."

As always, hanging up was hard, but Isshin was at his door and knocking impatiently. Toshiro let him in and they gathered his equipment up and headed off towards the mountain, Rangiku and Gin meeting them in the lobby.

Today's competition would follow a slightly different format, where the men and women would compete at the same times, each of their runs following the other.

It was a wild competition. Again it was Toshiro and Ikkaku fighting for the men's title, and Rangiku and Yachiru fighting for the women's. It was all professional though, since the four of them were quite good friends out of competition.

And when Rangiku won the gold in the women's competition, Yachiru jumped in her arms in excitement at the bottom of the pipe. All the other ladies then also jumped on Rangiku, creating a 'stacks on' pile in the snow as the crowd laughed and cheered. They didn't care who won in the end, they just wanted a good show.

"Suck my dick, Shiba!" Ikkaku mouthed to the camera at the bottom of the pipe where he had just unseated Toshiro from first place.

At the top of the pipe, Toshiro laughed, barely restraining from flipping the bald headed Kiwi off.

He shot down the pipe, his run no different than his Olympics finals run except that the trickers were higher, cleaner and tighter. The crowd lost it when he managed the switch backside 1260 again, and even had room to slash the last of the pipe and spray snow at the cameras stationed there, all for those extra flavour points.

He won the gold, with a margin of two and a half points, and just like Rangiku, Toshiro was crushed under a pile of bodies as people launched themselves at him in congratulations. If Toshiro didn't know any better, he would have suspected they were actually just trying to break his spine so he couldn't compete again.

It was all in jest though, as they were supportive community.

Isshin managed to pull him out of it, handing him his phone once he was clear of the pile.

"You've got a text," his father smirked at him.

Toshiro glanced down to see a text from Rukia.

**Rukia, 12:45pm: **  
_Congratulations, Handsome. I'll have to send you a picture later as a gift ;)_

Toshiro's grin went stupid – he knew what that meant, even though he wouldn't be able to masturbate to them. Slipping his phone away, he glanced up to see a camera in his face and one of the event hosts beaming at him, microphone in hand.

He's interview was painfully long but Toshiro remained smiling and full of gratitude when he spoke, the organisers rushing around behind them to set up the podiums for the medal ceremony. It was still so unbelievable to him that he could be here, and on top of the podium no less.

Isshin caught his eye, the father of four beaming proudly at him and Toshiro grinned back.

He knew his father was proud of him, and Toshiro too had finally become proud of himself. He worked hard, and now it was paying off.

And in one more week it would really pay off, because he would be the World Number One of halfpipe snowboarding with the World Number One of female individual figure skating under his arm, in his own home town.

One more week.

…

Toshiro had very little time to prepare for Rukia's visit.

Once he had arrived home to Jindabyne, only had two days to sort his life out before he was due to travel back up to Sydney.

He had two university exams to complete on campus, ones that he had postponed twice due to the competitive snowboarding season. Thankfully the elite athlete program at his school was flexible to a point, but still, these exams needed to be done.

When he wasn't studying, he was preparing for Rukia and Gin to stay in his and Rangiku's newest flat. Rangiku was being very unhelpful, claiming she needed to work on her body and her tan before she could clean out all her hair from the bathroom.

When he left, he was happy. Though he was sure that Rangiku was going to mess up the place and eat all the food he had purchased before she and Ichigo drove up to meet him at the airport, where they would then meet up with their Irish partners. Rukia was flying straight from Japan, while Gin and Renji had gone home to Ireland after Spain and would be flying in from there. Both flights were due to arrive within twenty minutes of each other.

Toshiro took the small blue Corolla that he and the twins shared up to Sydney, using the six hour drive to listen to an audio version of one of his textbooks.

He planned to stay with Yukio for the few days his exam dates sat over, which the blond surfer had obviously been 'fucking stoked hey mate' about it. The snowboarder was excited to catch up with his friend, but he hoped that it didn't hinder his study any.

Of course it had, though.

Yukio had them out surfing the moment Toshiro pulled into his driveway. After that it was endless food and movies, the odd workout thrown in. If Yukio wasn't already sick of him talking about Rukia, he was after the few days together.

"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time," the blond admitted on the final night when they were hunched over tacos that were falling to pieces in their hands. "I think this bird might be a good one."

Toshiro could only hum and nod, mouthful.

Thankfully his exams went well. He wouldn't receive the results for another few weeks, but he felt good about it, like he had been prepared for most questions and maybe fluffed his way enough through the ones he wasn't as confident with. He probably wouldn't walk away with a High Distinction, but a pass was definite, maybe even a Credit or Distinction – curve permitting.

It was a highly excruciating week, one that was very stressful and thanks to his promise to Rukia, Toshiro hadn't been able to masturbate. It wasn't that he _had _to masturbate, but it was a good way to expel energy, especially when that energy was full of stress and sexual frustration.

Alas, he kept his word. He had been a good boy.

"Far out, you are like an excited kid on Chrissie morning," Yukio chuckled as Toshiro literally bounced around, packing his stuff back into the car.

He couldn't help it! He was so excited. He was finally seeing Rukia again, and what was more, she was visiting him at home! Toshiro had plans to show her the park he skated at, the fish and chip shop he and Rangiku frequented, he was going to introduce her to his dog Daisy, and he had a date planned up at Thredbo. The snow was gone but it was still a beautiful mountain, and they could hike or ride bikes through the trails.

He did, however, promise Yukio that he could meet Rukia on their journey back to the airport at the end of her trip. That he was most nervous for because he knew Yukio would have a high standard for what he expected from Toshiro's girlfriends, following the whole Momo incident.

By the time Toshiro reached the airport and met up with Rangiku and Ichigo in the arrivals area, his heart was pounding through his chest, both from excitement and also nervousness.

"You need to calm down," Rangiku chuckled and slapped him hard on the back. "You're going to start sweating soon."

"Please tell me you left the flat tidy," Toshiro deflected, grumbling. "This is Rukia's first time visiting, I don't want her to think we are both slobs when only you are."

Ichigo snorted at that, the strawberry haired skier leaning against the railing on Toshiro's other side.

Rangiku scoffed.

"That's a lie," she rolled her eyes. "And yes I left it tidy. I also baked some banana bread last night so the kitchen smells like we bake."

"I'm not sure Rukia can eat banana bread," Toshiro murmured. Skater diets and all that.

"Oh she won't have to," Rangiku flicked her hair off her shoulder. "Apparently it tasted 'like poison' and Ichigo made me chuck it out."

"Zero out of ten would recommend," Ichigo's face scrunched in disgust. "But the place did look clean."

Toshiro rolled his eyes. Trust Rangiku to make some disgusting treat for their guests. The woman had a wild sense of taste and not even Toshiro could handle that side of her.

It was good to hear from Ichigo that the flat had looked tidy when he had picked her up in the early hours of the morning before they drove up.

Toshiro also had faith that the family home, where they were due to have dinner as a group tonight, would be cleaner than ever. With Yuzu in charge and the girl's long time hero on the way, the Shibas better believe that house was going to be perfect for the arrival of their Irish guests.

Finally, midday hit, and within a few minutes, Toshiro spotted Rukia coming through the arrivals gate from Customs. Well, actually he had spotted Renji first, since the dude was so large and with hair ridiculously bright. Gin too, the incredibly tall and lanky snowboard cross rider, was another easy spot. Rukia, by comparison, was short and petite, easily lost in a crowd, but still Toshiro's eyes found her almost instantly.

Beauty of that magnitude could not go unnoticed.

They made eye contact and Rukia's lips stretched into a huge grin. Toshiro couldn't wait and jogged up to her, flying straight into her outstretched arms.

It was such a relief to hold her again, Toshiro's heart felt like it was suddenly too large for his chest. Likewise, he heard Rukia's sigh of satisfied longing. It had been so hard for both of them.

Leaning back a little so he could see her face properly**, he put one hand to her temple, smiling softly at those beautiful eyes for a moment, **before his gaze travelled down to her lips. He brought his fingers down to her chin and tilted it up to meet him.

It was soft and sweet, but their passion bubbled in the back, and Toshiro had to pull back before they got carried away. As much as he wanted to get heated with her, he knew they still had plenty of time for that.

Still, his eyes couldn't help but sweep over her form possessively, noticing that she was wearing his shirt. Though oversized on her, she looked fantastic in it, and if the smirk on her face was anything to go by, the figure skater had known that when she put it on.

Around them, the other couples reunited and embraced.

Ichigo and Renji kissed heatedly, which earned some cheers from a group of young tourists nearby. Rangiku and Gin melted together, gushing over each other's newly acquainted medals, though they had both been there to watch each other's events.

"We actually did somefin fer yeh," Gin grinned at Rangiku, his accent as strong as ever.

Toshiro smirked; he had actually forgotten about this in his stress over the last week, but thanks to Renji's idea, the Irish lot had a little prank for Rangiku.

"What did you do for me?" Rangiku asked Gin, surprise etched on her features.

"Ah got yer name tattooed, look!"

Gin turned and pulled down the waist band of his pants just low enough to reveal a temporary tattoo of Rangiku's name inside a love heart. It looked incredibly real, Toshiro had to admit, and very similar to the real one on his own ass.

Naturally, Rangiku's expression was a blank look of shock while she tried to process the situation.

"I did too," Rukia added, jumping in then, after having pushed Toshiro away.

She pulled down the top of her tartan patterned skirt to reveal another temporary tattoo of Rangiku's name inside a snowboard outline. Toshiro's eyes were not there, however, as his teal eyes found more interest in the suspenders he could see under her skirt now.

Lingerie.

Rukia was wearing lingerie under that outfit and after not touching himself for a week, Toshiro's only concern was ripping her clothes off her so he could see all of what was underneath.

Somewhere in his peripheral, Renji was also showing Rangiku a tattoo of her name, also on his ass, but Toshiro only had eyes for Rukia, who was now smirking appreciatively at his reaction.

She knew exactly what she was doing, and Toshiro realised this might be revenge for the wireless vibrator begging stunt he had pulled.

Renji's tattoo was apparently the tipping point for Rangiku who very quickly realised they were winding her up.

"You guys are a bunch of asses," Rangiku spat, and everyone laughed at that. Rangiku's face was bright red but a slight grin played at her lips.

She loved the attention, really.

"How long will that take to come off?" Ichigo asked, and like Toshiro he was a little flushed and staring at his boyfriend's ass.

"The instructions of the pen said three days," Renji answered with a shrug.

Toshiro frowned and blinked, turning to Rukia.

"Who did yours?" he asked.

"Byakuya," she smirked, and Toshiro's brow furrowed deeper. Was that weird? Rukia didn't seem to think so. "It's cool, he's become super chill since the whole Olympics thing now. He didn't approve at first but when I explained it to him he did think it was incredibly funny. He had a limit of how far down my ass he was willing to go though."

"Nae wonder," Gin voiced Toshiro's thoughts, though he was laughing about it, "he's yer brother."

"He's seen me in skating outfits that show off a lot more skin than I presented him as a canvas," Rukia explained, and Toshiro might have had a counterpoint to that but he forgot it the second she yawned and stretched, revealing a very delicious view of her neck.

The marks he had left on her had long since faded, but the memory hadn't and Toshiro was determined to replace his marks on her.

"So what's the plan?" Rukia asked innocently, though she was far from it.

"Well, Gin, Ichigo, Renji and I will take Ichigo's car back to Jindabyne," Rangiku answered,"It's a five hour drive, but I have a banger playlist prepared. Toshiro will drive you back in his car."

Rangiku glanced at Toshiro to see that was still the plan and the white haired snowboarder nodded.

The argument had always been that two couples would take Ichigo's car as it was bigger, which gave all the taller people, Gin and Renji in particular, the leg room they needed. Toshiro's car was far smaller, since he only really shared it with the twins and all of them were shorter human beings. In reality, Toshiro just wanted the alone time with Rukia because once they were back in Jindabyne with his whole family and the other couples, alone time was going to be few and far between.

He couldn't wait to be alone with Rukia again.

The group headed towards the carpark then and Toshiro took Rukia's suitcase for her. It was heavier than his was when he normally travelled, but a feather in comparison to Rangiku's normal luggage weight.

"You look beautiful," he murmured to her, quiet enough that the others hadn't heard.

The low volume of his voice suggested a certain level of sexual appeal, which was enough for Rukia to smirk, realising he was indeed referring to her lingerie he now knew she was wearing.

"Thank you, so do you," she replied, touching his arm as he lifted her suitcase into the boot of his car.

He stared at it while she walked around to get in the car, her touch still burning into his skin though her fingers had long since released him.

Inhaling a deep breath, Toshiro jumped in the driver's seat and pulled out of the carpark.

The journey to Jindabyne from the airport was long, and not because of the distance, but because Toshiro could see Rukia's suspenders from where her skirt had hitched up when she sat, and it was hard to keep his eyes on the road after that.

"It's hot," Rukia commented at one point.

She had every idea how hot.

"March is usually very hot," Toshiro gritted his teeth. Small talk about the weather wasn't make him any less turned on. "In April, things start to cool off so it won't be too bad. Plus Jindabyne is up in the mountain range so it's naturally much cooler."

Rukia appeared to be enjoying it though, especially when Toshiro then resorted to pointing at random things they passed and giving her 'fun facts' on them.

'_Fun facts'._

From there they spoke about their respective competitions, though it was hard to find things they hadn't spoken about in voice clips and over the phone. Still, Rukia got a kick out of hearing the hot tub story again when Toshiro had stumbled across Gin and Rangiku 'getting busy' in the tub.

That moment had ruined hot tubs for him, but Rukia thought it was funny.

What wasn't funny was the fact that she then rested her hand on Toshiro's thigh.

"So we're going straight to your family's house for dinner?" Rukia asked, voice deceptively casual.

Toshiro choked out his agreement, though right now it was hard to focus on anything but her hand on his thigh.

"And we won't be alone again until later tonight?" she asked, more pointedly.

"Yeah…" Toshiro breathed. He did regret agreeing to that now.

"Hmm," Rukia hummed, though she appeared to disagree with that plan.

Her hand on his thigh slid up higher and Toshiro shuddered. His dick twitched with interest, growing warm and stiff in his pants.

_Fuck it,_ Toshiro decided, and immediately he pulled the car into a side road and behind some trees. This was probably any offence in his country but he didn't care, unbuckling his seat belt and helping Rukia into his lap, the Irish woman not needing to be told what was going on.

Their lips crushed together madly, like two crazed and hungry beasts. It wasn't pretty, it certainly wasn't classy, but it felt _oh so good._ Desperation had caught both of them as Toshiro slid his hands under her skirt and squeezed the suspender-covered ass. If he'd had to room to work with, he would have spanked her hard.

Rukia too had hands all over him which moved straight to his jeans, and in an instant she had his bare cock in her hands and was grasping it tightly as it hardened to full size.

There was to be little foreplay this time round. They were both hungry for each other and to desperate to care where they fucked. It would be a quick session, especially since Toshiro had been aching to come for days now.

He slipped his hand inside her lacy underwear, ready to prepare her with his fingers but he stopped suddenly, feeling a very foreign object blocking his path. He pulled back from the kiss in confusion, ignoring Rukia's laugh as he felt the item more and realised what it was.

It was a plug.

Rukia had prepared herself and inserted a plug – when she had managed this, Toshiro didn't want to know – but all that matter was that she was already ready for him.

Her hand reached down and knocked his out of the way, before she pulled the plug out of her and left it on her abandoned passenger seat.

A moment later, she was sinking down on his length with speed, and Toshiro groaned and shuddered with pleasure and relief, feeling himself finally sheathed in the hot wet cavern he had been craving since they left the Olympics.

It was no comparison to his own hand.

Rukia was charge, that much was clear as the skater rode him at a brutal pace, their mouths messily kissing each other between moans. Toshiro was coming undone so quickly he might have thought to be embarrassed if the woman wasn't leaning back, both showing off more of her body and also changing the angle of the penetration to one that drove Toshiro to blinding pleasure.

"Fuck," Toshiro gasped, "Rukia if you keep this up I'm not going to last…"

"Good," Rukia panted, grin in her tone as Toshiro let another long groan escape his lips, "I don't want you to last that's why I told you not to masturbate."

He groaned again. Though he loved being dominated by her in the sack, it was extremely hard to cope when Toshiro knew there was nothing he could do to flip the current situation. The car left very little room to negotiate positions.

She continued bouncing on him, her movements powerful and unrelenting as Toshiro pushed his sweaty hair off his face. He was so unbelievable hot, and his cock was on fire.

It really didn't take long after that for him to climax sharply, his semen filling her up.

"Rukia," he moaned her name, though it had come out all strangled.

The woman in question was satisfied by this apparently, as she slowed her pace, giving him a few long strokes to ride him through the orgasm. Eventually she lifted herself off him and manoeuvred back to her seat, finding the plug and inserting it back inside her.

Toshiro stared, his fly zip half way back up and his dick tucked back in.

'Is… is that just until you can get to a bathroom?' he asked, though he was starting to think not.

She was going to sit at his family home, all the way through dinner, with his ejaculation inside her, and a plug that would keep her stretched open for an easily accessible round two.

"You can delude yourself into thinking that's right," Rukia shrugged.

Running a hand down his face, Toshiro groaned. He now expected that he was going to be made to wait for this inevitable round two. Rukia was playing with him now, just for fun.

It was going to be another long evening.

The rest of the drive went quicker after that. Toshiro had climaxed, but he didn't feel satisfied, not with that situation he had sitting beside him all smug and full of his seed. They were quiet now, and Toshiro figured the town tour could wait for another day as they finally entered Jindabyne.

Toshiro pulled into the driveway behind Ichigo'scar. Though they had a huge double car garage, they also had a huge family and the two other family cars (Isshin's Ute and Kukaku and Ganju's shared Jeep) were already parked inside.

Rukia gave an impressed whistle at the house when she saw it. Toshiro supposed it probably looked very different to her flat.

It was a huge two-story brick home, with a large front yard and an even larger backyard. It had to be with the amount of people living in it. Plus this was Jindabyne; it was practically a rural town, meaning everyone had more land to spread out that in the city suburbs.

They walked up to the house and Toshiro opened the door, holding it to let Rukia in first.

The poor woman had made it all of one step in when Toshiro's younger sister Yuzu launched herself at their guest, squealing and hugging Rukia tightly.

"Hey Yuzu," Rukia chuckled, thankfully relaxed about being accosted with her fan upon entering the new environment.

Yuzu immediately launched into a fangirl gush about Rukia's Worlds performance. Toshiro frowned – Yuzu and Rukia had been there together, but that didn't stop Yuzu gushing again.

"Don't suffocate her," Isshin laughed entering the room and spotting the scene. He bent down low while Rukia went up on her tip toes to greet each other in a light hug. "Dinner will be served soon."

"Thank you Isshin," Rukia replied with a smile.

Isshin winked to Toshiro which the young snowboarder ignored, before leading Rukia further into the house while Yuzu skipped along excitedly beside them. They found Rangiku, Gin, Ichigo, Renji, Karin and Jinta in the main living room, lounging around and chatting, the Formula One on the television in the background. No doubt Ichigo had put that on – though he loved Renji, Toshiro knew he had a bit of a crush on F1 driver, Daniel Ricciardo.

They sat on the large couch and Toshiro wrapped an arm around Rukia as the teams caught up with each other on post-Olympics life. At some point Karin disappeared to the kitchen and Rukia's gaze seemed to follow the dark haired twin from the room. Toshiro just hoped Rukia wouldn't spot the countless photo frames situated around the house, all with embarrassing family photos inside.

Luckily they made it to dinner without her making a comment on them. Dinner that night was loud – louder than normal with all the new guests and that was saying something, because dinner at the Shibas was chaotic affair even when it was just the family.

Isshin and Kukaku had prepared a huge – albeit still healthy – feast, the father withholding no expenses as he served up premium Aussie steak.

It had been right up until that moment that Toshiro relaxed despite knowing what his girlfriend was wearing, both on the outside and on the inside.

"The steak is really thick and juicy," Rukia complimented Isshin, seemingly innocent enough though her hand had just landed back on Toshiro's thigh – right where it had been moments before she had climbed into his lap and rode him senseless in the shared Toyota Corolla (he would clean it out before his sisters drove it again).

Isshin, unaware of elephant-sized sexual tension at their end of the table, was delighted with the compliment and started going on about Australian steak production and it's comparison to the rest of the world.

Toshiro minded his own business, staring at his vegetables and trying to focus on remembering how to use his cutlery. It didn't help that Rukia kept rocking back on her plug and sighing lowly in satisfaction or the fact that she had started to stroke him through his jeans.

It felt so good, and just like it had at the karaoke bar, the exhilaration of knowing they could be caught at any moment just spurred Toshiro's excitement on. He let her continue, even widening his legs to allow her better access.

"We will have to a do a proper barbecue night before you leave," Isshin was still talking to Rukia about _fucking beef_. "You'll need to have burgers done right while you're here."

"That'd be amazing," she sighed innocently, with an air of longing but Toshiro knew it wasn't for his father's special burgers. "I love thick meat, even though I'm restricted to when I can have it."

Toshiro – who had been trying to quell the heat in his cheeks by gulping down some water – choked.

"Are you okay?" Rukia asked, faux-concern on her face and Toshiro glowered back at her, albeit discretely.

She now had slipped her fingers into his jeans and boxers and was gently tracing the tip of his now rock hard cock.

"F-fine," Toshiro gritted.

He was far from fine though, especially when she managed to milk some pre-cum from his slit and then licked it off her finger – though she had picked up a vegetable to consume alongside it so his family wouldn't notice. Toshiro sure has Hell noticed.

"Rukia," Yuzu's voice called across the table and Toshiro's eyes snapped to his little sister, worried she had noticed something. "After dinner, can I show you something?"

"Of course you can," Rukia agreed with a dazzling smile that had Yuzu almost blushing herself.

Rukia's hands stayed in her own zone after that, but she still rolled on the plug and let out soft, discrete moans for Toshiro's ears only. The snowboarder found himself staring at her unapologetically, his food long forgotten.

"Are you not hungry, Toshiro?" Isshin asked then and all sets of eyes turned on him.

Toshiro flushed, "Not really."

Rukia was smirking behind her water, and now Gin appeared to be sending her a knowing look. It was only a matter of time before Rangiku clocked on to the hanky panky situation under the table, and all the while Isshin was staring at Toshiro with light concern because his athlete wasn't touching his food.

Thankfully, the father came back with no follow up questions or comments, other than asking if they wanted dessert, to which Toshiro had mumbled a weak 'no thanks'.

"No thank you Isshin," Rukia grinned, rubbing it in – now literally again, her hand on Toshiro's crotch. "We'll get desert later."

Oh Isshin caught that one, the old flirt (though thankfully he was still unaware to the rubbing situation). He raised an eyebrow before walking off with some plates and a chuckle.

"Please stop that," Toshiro hissed when others around the table began to move too, collecting plates, cutlery and glassware.

"Stop what?" Rukia asked, eyes going wide with false innocence.

"All of it," he glared, "just everything, stop it."

"Do you want me to stop?" Rukia confirmed, moving in closer, her sweat breath mingling with his just as it did before they kissed.

"No…" he mumbled, inhaling her scent for a moment before he realised he had given the opposite answer to what he wanted. "I mean yes, yes stop it."

"Fine," Rukia giggled, leaning back away from him as she shrugged.

She stood then and turned suddenly, her skirt flipping up a little with the motion and giving Toshiro a brief few of her suspender clad ass. It stopped his brain for a minute, and then Toshiro had to stay seated for a moment longer to let his boner die back down before he caught up again.

When it was safe, Toshiro found Rukia and Yuzu hunched over a laptop together. Of course, Rukia was bending over just enough to give Toshiro a view that no one else should ever see.

"Wait, you're the person who made that page?" Rukia was asking when Toshiro approached, drawn to that ass like a moth to a flame.

"Yeah," Yuzu mumbled, "I hope you don't mind."

Toshiro saw as he approached that they were looking at the RukiaFansOfficial page, which Toshiro had found out shortly after the Olympics was run by the blonde twin herself. It had weirded him out when he had been scrolling back through the posts of how Yuzu had been shipping the #RukiShiro tag since its inception on the karaoke night.

"You started that hashtag?" Rukia giggled, clearly not as disturbed as Toshiro had been.

"Yeah," Yuzu admitted shyly, eyes flickering to Toshiro who merely pursed his lips.

"I love it," Rukia laughed, "I can't believe it was you."

Rukia's positive reaction was enough to settle Yuzu, who visibly relaxed and smiled up from her spot in the arm chair.

The two of them spoke more about the page – apparently Rukia had actually known about the page and liked its content prior to knowing who ran it. They then spoke about Yuzu's Triple Lutz that Rukia had helped her with at the Olympics.

Toshiro, meanwhile, was missing Rukia's attention, though he had been the one to ask her stop. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around her middle tightly. Rukia straightened in his hold, her hands coming to rest on his.

It was taking all of his restraint not to start kissing her neck in front of Yuzu.

"You two are so cute," the blonde skater squealed, looking up at them, her pupils practically shaped like love hearts.

"Thanks," Rukia replied.

"I was just showing Rukia my fan page, Toshiro," Yuzu beamed, holding up the laptop for him to see. Incidentally, it showed a picture of Rukia mid-jump and her flippy skirted had slipped right up. Her ass was mostly covered by the underwear part of the costume, but the shape couldn't be hidden from anyone, nor could the feel of it be ignored when it was pressed against him like right now.

"That's great," he managed, though his mind was elsewhere.

Satisfied, Yuzu pulled the laptop back and started typing.

"You're driving me nuts," Toshiro whispered, his hand sneaking around and under her skirt, squeezing that ass gently.

"Good," Rukia breathed. "I've not forgotten that Skype call."

_Fucking Hell,_ Toshiro knew that was why he was being punished.

Rukia twisted out of his arms and walked away, leaving Toshiro restless and horny, but with nowhere to go.

Sighing, he moved to the kitchen, figuring he might as well cool off and get their guests some drinks while he was there.

"Thanks for cooking, Dad," Toshiro murmured to Isshin as he passed him in the kitchen.

"It's nice having everyone here and happy, though it would have been nice if Uncle Ganju had joined us," Isshin sighed, slipping on some bright pink rubber dish gloves as he hovered around the sink to wash up what couldn't go in the dishwasher. "Are you alright? You didn't eat much and you look a little flustered."

"Just nervous," Toshiro answered quickly – it wasn't untrue, and he was trying to make more of an effort at being open with his family. "Rukia means a lot to me, I really need this visit to go well."

"It looks like she's having a good time so far," Isshin assured him with a grin and Toshiro smiled softly back.

He gathered up the drinks and headed back to the living room, arms full of beverages. He handed them out before he sat on the couch, Rukia immediately settling herself in his lap with her diet lemonade. He held her close, her ass on his thighs, and somewhere higher, a plug was settled. Toshiro sighed in resignation.

"Rukia looks really pretty today doesn't she, Toshiro?" Rangiku asked, stirring her drink and smirking just enough for Toshiro to know she was now in on the situation.

"Yeah she does," Karin answered before Toshiro could, the dark haired twin popping out of nowhere and jumping to the other arm chair beside her twin.

"Thanks Karin," Rukia winked at Karin.

Toshiro would have been happy to see his girlfriend getting on with his closest sibling, but his hormones weren't really in the mood to be sappy and fluffy.

Thankfully, the distraction of soccer on the television kept Rukia and the rest of the room busy for a while. Luckily it was a sport they all knew, whether they actually followed it or not, so no one had to explain the rules like they would have if they had put the Aussie Rules Football on, which was wildly different to any other sport. Karin cheered for her team, while Rukia and Gin bickered over whether the Irish team was better than the Scottish team.

It didn't take long before Rukia was subtly grinding herself down on his lap, no doubt the plug giving her a touch more friction to enjoy. It didn't help that her low moans had returned, pushing Toshiro close to breaking point as he let his fingers massage her skin under her skirt.

"I could give you a tour of the house," Toshiro offered then, "show you my room."

He squeezed her ass then to imply what he wanted to get done in his old bedroom.

At that moment, Daisy their Blue Heeler came pounding into the room, obviously being let back into the house now that dinner was over and done with. Toshiro would have felt guilty about forgetting to introduce his two best girls but he was too horny to care and Rukia probably knew too much about Daisy now too from all he had spoken about her.

"But I'm watching the game," Rukia laughed, watching Daisy jumping up on Gin and Rangiku.

Toshiro gave a pathetic whine – he knew Rukia didn't care about soccer! It was purely to torture him.

Daisy sensed his distress like the good girl she was and came running. Rukia leaned off Toshiro to meet the dog and give her a pat, but Toshiro gripped her hips and pulled her back into his lap to cover the growing boner he had again.

It was only a few minutes later that the game ended and Toshiro decided on behalf of him and Rukia that it was home time. Rangiku and Gin seemed not too far behind them too, but since they still had Gin's suitcase in Ichigo's car, Ichigo offered to drive them up to the flat so they wouldn't have to try and all squeeze in the Corolla.

Great. Perfect. Toshiro didn't really care to be honest, all he wanted to do was get Rukia home and fuck her senseless, he didn't care if Rangiku and Gin had to walk at this point.

Their goodbyes were brief, since Toshiro and Rukia would be back to spend more time with his family later in the week, and moments later, Toshiro was dragging Rukia out to the car and speeding off down the street to the little flat he and Rangiku shared.

"Someone's cranky," Rukia had the gall to point out when Toshiro spoke very little on the short journey.

"I wonder why," Toshiro muttered back, getting out of the car when they reached the flats.

He circled around and held Rukia's door open for her, before they moved to the boot of the car to retrieve her suitcase. Toshiro's own bag and text books littered the backseat but they were tomorrow's chore.

He led her up to the flat he and Rangiku shared on the off season when they got to live and train at home. There was nothing special about it, but it was nice enough for them and it was close to home and the park.

Toshiro unlocked the door and let Rukia in ahead of him.

"It's nice," Rukia commented and Toshiro internalised the breath of relief that Rangiku had indeed left the space tidy. Even the small kitchen which had been the site of her poisonous cooking had been cleaned – though whatever smell she had going for had also (thankfully) disappeared.

Toshiro moved Rukia's suitcase out of the entrance while Rukia looked around but as soon as he returned, he swept her up and against his chest as he marched her down the hallway.

"Am I not getting the tour?" Rukia asked cheekily.

Oh now she wanted a tour?

"Sure," Toshiro muttered, kicking open his bedroom door when he reached it. "Let's start here. This is my room."

He threw her down onto his bed, kicking the door closed behind him as he fell on top her, lips straight on hers. Their mouths crushed into each other, heated movements setting an aggressive pace instantly. Rukia relented to his control and Toshiro went about ripping her clothes off, though much of it was tricky to remove.

"Easy, Love," Rukia whispered after she helped him with the stockings and Toshiro glared her; they were far beyond 'easy' now.

"Hey Google," he called out to the room. "Play 90s Playlist."

The mini dome shaped object in the corner of his room gave a happy tone and started playing the Spotify playlist of nineties tracks.

His lips were back on Rukia's, not feeling any need to explain, though she did guess it easily enough.

"Is that so Gin and Rangiku don't hear us?" Rukia guessed with a giggle as Toshiro adjusted himself higher up the bed, positioning his crotch just above hers.

"Yes," he managed, moving his lips to her neck and relishing in her groaned response.

"I reckon they'll still hear us," Rukia commented, but Toshiro was unconcerned. After the hot tub incident, he hoped they heard them.

Removing the last of her clothes, Toshiro returned to Rukia's neck, sucking harshly to once again mark his territory on her. His hands were on her body, fingers slayed over her bare skin. As much as he wanted to explore her silky skin properly, it was going to have to wait until tomorrow. After her torturous teasing all night, she had lost foreplay rights and Toshiro was going to make her climax without it.

He took a short break to remove his clothes too, and the second he returned Rukia's hands were on his abs but he grabbed them and pinned her wrists back down on the bed.

"No, you don't," he growled, and Rukia gave a nervous chuckle back.

He knew she didn't love giving up control, but Toshiro would never hurt her, he would only ever show her pleasure.

Reaching down, Toshiro carefully pulled the plug out of Rukia and tossed it somewhere into the room. Inserting himself instantly in its place, both he and Rukia moaned in relief.

He began thrusting, brutally, and without letting Rukia flip them over. She had done it to him in the car and now it was his turn. It was rough, but nothing but pleasured moans left Rukia's lips, her eyes rolling back into her head as her legs wrapped around his waist.

It was loud too, Toshiro recalled that much, as their moans mingled and the bed frame rocked against the wall.

Rukia came before he did, choking on his name and arching her back off the bed. Toshiro came undone soon after, spilling himself inside her again.

Breathless and panting, Toshiro collapsed off Rukia's side, his cock sliding out of her and the Irish woman rolled and curled into him, speaking gibberish, A.K.A. probably Gaelic.

Toshiro brushed the sweaty hair off her face as she wrinkled her nose.

"I need to wash," she groaned and Toshiro chuckled before he pecked her cheek with a chaste kiss.

"Me too," he agreed, and he managed to pull himself away and out of the bed.

He retrieved a couple of fresh towels from his cupboard and tossed one back to Rukia before wrapping his own around his waist. Now that he had been satisfied and come down from the high, he didn't actually want Rangiku and Gin to see him walking naked through the flat.

"It's a shame you have to hide all those muscles from view" Rukia commented, a smirk tugging at her lips and Toshiro grinned back at her.

"You'll see them soon," Toshiro told her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "We can shower together."

Rukia covered up and Toshiro headed to the bedroom door, opening it and slipping out into the hall. He got two steps before he paused, hearing the familiar giggle coming from the bathroom and the sound of the water running.

Rangiku, and Gin too presumably to warrant that flirty giggle.

Chuckling, Toshiro returned to his room.

"What?" Rukia asked.

"They're showering together," Toshiro laughed and Rukia chuckled too.

"Nice one, Gin," Rukia smirked.

That was the thing about living with Rangiku though, she was pretty much always in the bathroom when Toshiro needed it.

They didn't sound like they were having sex so at least there was that, and hopefully they wouldn't be much longer.

Toshiro turned his music down and sat back on the bed beside Rukia as they listened for the other happy couple to get out of the shower. Fortunately, it wasn't much of a wait and soon they heard Rangiku and Gin move between rooms, heading toward Rangiku's bedroom.

Toshiro and Rukia's own shower was beautiful. The warm water washed away their sweat, sex excretions and all the tension of the day. Toshiro could help but grin as he ran his wash cloth over Rukia's back, covering the satiny skin in little bubbles from the shower wash. He was again reminded of how lucky he was to have such a beautiful woman in his life, and even though it felt so surreal to have her in his hometown after the magic and drama of the Olympics, it also felt like she had been here for years. Rukia just fit so well into his life and with his family in their home. He didn't voice it, but he wondered vaguely if Rukia would ever consider the move from Ireland to Australia. It was a big ask, one that was too early to speak about, but Toshiro loved the idea of them living together permanently.

Rukia smiled softly at him when he was done, as she turned and took the cloth, taking the time to wash his back too. It felt so lovely, the way she tenderly stroked his back. As much as he enjoyed her sexual touches, Toshiro loved the tender ones even more.

After the shower, they returned to the room. She probably had pyjamas in the suitcase of hers that Toshiro had left down the hall, but he couldn't be bothered to get it and he loved the look of her in his shirts anyway, so he tossed her an old superhero shirt he usually only wore to bed.

Toshiro slipped on some loose boxers and joined her back on the bed.

He set up his laptop to play the new Spiderman movie, while Rukia settled herself in his arms. He held her close as the movie started, rubbing soothing circles in her skin. She'd had a big day with the long flight, two rounds of sex and enduring an evening with his entire family.

The sound of something falling over caught Toshiro's attention and he quickly paused the movie to listen for a moment. It became quickly apparent what had caused the noise as they heard a suggestive moan from down the hall and the definitive sound a mattress squeaking continuously.

"Sounds like they're having fun," Rukia giggled and Toshiro sighed.

"Yeah it does," he scrunched his face for a second, putting the movie back on, louder now. "It's not exactly what I want to hear though. I'm just happy for her."

Since Gin had come into the picture, Rangiku was happier, visibly so. Toshiro had noticed the way she held herself straighter, the way she had grown more mature and confident now that she realised she didn't need loser guys' opinions on how she looked. It was a nice change.

"I bet you've had to sit and endure a lot of guys coming through here?" Rukia asked. "She's quite the looker."

"Tell me about it," Toshiro rolled his eyes, playing with Rukia's fingers as he spoke. "It's even more annoying when they're assholes and I know it but she doesn't see it."

"At least Gin isn't," Rukia quickly offered, as though she was looking for his agreement on the matter.

It was no secret that Toshiro had hated every man Rangiku had ever brought home.

"No, he's definitely the best person I could have hoped for her to end up with," Toshiro agreed.

"Good I am glad you approve," Rukia smirked at him. "Could you imagine the fight we'd get into if you didn't?"

She was winding him up now, but two could play at that game.

"I know," Toshiro joked, "and you'd not stand a chance considering you're so tiny."

"Hey now, I've seen Rocky, I can punch!"

That had Toshiro smirking as Rukia twisted out of his hold, putting her fists up for a fight. Toshiro grinned and held up his hands like they were punching pads for her to practice on.

She jabbed a couple of times, her fists hitting him with the same strength as a toddler.

"Yeah," Toshiro commented dryly. "You'd bring me down with just one of these."

"Oi," Rukia laughed, punching him harder, now with the strength of maybe a seven year old. He raised an eyebrow at her and her shoulders sagged. "I'm tired, cut me some slack."

"You'd not stand a chance against me, Kuchiki," Toshiro smirked, drawling his words. "You know why?"

"Why?" Rukia asked cautiously, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Because I know all your weak spots."

With that Toshiro reached for her and began tickling the woman relentlessly. He laughed as Rukia yelped and gasped, squirming in his hold. At a point, his laptop got knocked over the bed, but thankfully the fall was cushioned by their discarded clothing. Quicker than he could get her to do it in sex, Rukia begged for mercy.

"You're the devil," Rukia accused through pants after he had released her and Toshiro chuckled.

"Revenge is best served ticklish," he smirked.

He reached for her again and pulled her close, and Rukia relaxed after a moment's hesitation when she realised he had no intention of tickling her again.

Retrieving the laptop, Toshiro resumed the movie which was now coming to the end anyway. They spoke on and off throughout the final scenes but it was becoming painfully more aware than Rukia was losing her battle to sleep. By the time the film had finished, Rukia's eyes were closed and her breathing was deep and even.

Toshiro shut the laptop and moved it to his bedside table so it wouldn't be knocked off the bed again or stepped on coming morning time. He had to reach over Rukia to turn off the lamp on her side but he did his best not to jostle her too much in the process.

Finally settling in, Toshiro laid his head down beside Rukia, leaning forward to kiss her forehead softly.

"Good night, Beautiful," he murmured as she curled in closer to him, her head finding comfort on his chest, over his heart.

"Night Handsome," she returned, words slurred a little with sleep.

Toshiro stared up at his ceiling, hand lazily stroking Rukia's back as the woman fell asleep on him. The snowboarder felt lighter than he ever had in his life; he had a beautiful family, amazing friends, and a gorgeous girlfriend. He knew that if his mother was watching from above, she was proud of him, just as his father was, and just as he was of himself.

He had so much love in his life, and so many people to share it with. He was going to share it with Rukia too of course, because she was his family now, and he wanted her to know it.

…

** Toshiupdates**  
_OUR BOY TOOK THE GOLD AT WORLDS! ALL HAIL THE HALF PIPE KIIINGG!_

** ToshiroFan1234**  
_ALSO THE BRONZE ON THE SLOPESTYLE! SO GLAD TO SEE HIS RUN SO TIGHT AFTER THE CRASH *SOBS*_

_** SwagItMatsumoto**_  
_AND THE HALF PIPE QUEEN IS BACK ON TOP! ALL HAIL THE HALF PIPE QUEEEN!_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_AND RUKIA GOT THE GOLD TOO! I AM SCREAMING-_

** ShibaSibsAreLyf**  
_ALL CAPS BECAUSE WE'RE ALL SCREAMING!_

** IreAussieBabe**  
_GUYS! NOW THAT WORLDS/THEIR SEASONS ARE OVER… IREAUSSIE REUNION?_

** RukiShiroFanXOXO**  
_** IreAussieBabe**__ SCREAMS LOUDER_

…

**SCREAAMSSS**

**One chapter to go! Please review if you get a chance, it means the absolute world to Lethan and I :)**

**Make sure you go read Lethan's side (Rukia POV) if you haven't already!**


	14. Epilogue: Farewell, But Not Goodbye

**Alright my loves, this is the final chapter of Going For Gold. **

**Thank you to everyone who has favourited, followed and reviewed – you are the real MVPs because without you we would have no motivation or inspiration to write.**

**Thank you and enjoy xx**

…

Laughter echoed around the rocky mountainside.

"Toshiro," Rukia wheezed, tears from laughter in the corner of her eyes as she squirmed. "Stop!"

Toshiro did as he was told, realising his girlfriend from his relentlessly ticking fingers. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and rolled them until he was on his back and she laid across his chest, he kissed her neck gently in apology, as she battered his arm weakly, still panting from the latest in a long string of tickle attacks.

"You're an asshole," she panted, though her hand twisted in his snowy hair affectionately and her face nuzzled into his neck.

"A handsome one, I think you'll agree," Toshiro chuckled.

"You're lucky you have your looks," Rukia muttered sarcastically, tone warning, though it was all for fun. He couldn't see her, but he was sure she was rolling her eyes against his throat.

Toshiro smirked and stretched his neck, reaching up to kiss her gently. His arms around her waist loosened, his thumbs rubbing slow circles into her hip bones. The mountain was peaceful around them; the only sounds were those of birds chirping happily under the soft sun.

They were lying on a red checked picnic rug, half way up Mount Kosciuszko, which by all standards wasn't much of a mountain. It was the highest Australia had though, and was normally the place of Toshiro's winter playground – the snowfield of the Thredbo Ski Resort. It was just post summer, and there wasn't even a spec of frost in sight, let alone snow. It was still rather cool, but with the sun shining directly on them, Toshiro found himself to be at a very comfortable temperature in just a light jumper.

The view was lovely too, as they looked over endlessly rolling hills, covered in muted green trees that were typical to the Australian landscape, while the odd protruding rock faces and boulders glistened gold and silver in the afternoon sun.

"Today was nice," Rukia said to him quietly after a moment, her head shifting to rest on his chest. She always rested her ear over his heart, listening to his heartbeat, and Toshiro wondered if she ever heard it quicken and skip beats when she spoke, because he always seemed to feel that in himself.

Rukia did incredible things to his body, and not all of them were sexual in nature. Even now, Toshiro was constantly finding himself surprised by her beauty, her touches and her gentle words – familiar yet still thoroughly exciting.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Toshiro murmured, playing with her fingers gently. A few nights ago, during a planned 'girls night', Rangiku had forced some nail polish onto Rukia's fingernails, a deep forest green to match both Irish and Australian colours, but now it was starting to chip away.

Today was their last day in Jindabyne together before Rukia was due to go home. Tomorrow they would leave for Sydney, but they had an extra night to spend together there before Rukia's flight the following day. Toshiro had promised Yukio he could meet the famous Rukia, and they also had an interview to do on one of Australia's popular news shows.

For Rukia's last day, Toshiro had planned an outdoor date up the mountains. They had hiked for a while up the relatively low slope, taking in the natural scenery – Rukia of course had been concerned of snakes, and Toshiro had a little too much fun with that.

"What is it?" Rukia asked when Toshiro stopped abruptly on the trail, causing her to bump into his back.

"I thought I saw a Mountain Snake," Toshiro answered seriously, causing Rukia to freeze behind him.

"You said I didn't have to worry about snakes!" Rukia hissed, and if Toshiro had looked over his shoulder, he probably would have seen her eyes wide with fear.

"Yeah, I forgot about the Mountain Snake," Toshiro said carefully. "Sorry."

"I asked 'are there any snakes up the mountain?'," Rukia scolded, alarm in her tone, "and you said 'No, Rukia, that's ridiculous,'. How did you forget about a mountain snake literally called 'the Mountain Snake'?"

"Well I thought the bigger concern would be the mountain spiders," Toshiro shrugged, indifferent but probably only causing his girlfriend more reason to panic. "I forgot about the snakes."

Rukia smacked his arm, "Is it deadly?"

It had been all too fun for Toshiro to shrug again.

"Nah," Toshiro answered casually, taking another step before stopping suddenly and frowning. "Well yes, but only if it bites you."

Rukia, apparently needing to hear no more, jumped up on Toshiro's back, her arms around his neck, knees digging into his ribs, desperate to keep her body off the ground.

Toshiro came undone then, bursting out into a fit of laughter. Knowing she'd been had, Rukia smacked his shoulder a lot harder then and jumped off his back with an annoyed huff.

"You're an asshole, Shiba," she punched his back and Toshiro stumbled forward, laughing louder.

"Sorry, Beautiful," Toshiro teased, wiping the laughter tears from the corners of his eyes and continuing to walk along the hiking trail. "It's just too easy."

It was his obligation as an Australian citizen to tease her about the wildlife.

Rukia huffed, and he heard her steps quickening to catch up with him again.

"To be clear, there are no such things as Mountain Snakes?" she said, an air of cautiousness about her.

"No such species exist here," Toshiro nodded, turning around and walking backwards for a moment so he could reach forward and grab Rukia's hand, kissing it gently. He smirked then, "Just Death Adders."

Rukia looked at him as though she didn't know if he was joking or not, and Toshiro winked at her. He wasn't joking, but it was very unlikely they would stumble across one. The mountains were not the most appealing places for cold-blooded reptiles to hang out. They would be hibernating most of the year if they stayed here.

Spiders, on the other hand- Well it probably wasn't worth worrying her with that information.

One day, she was going to stop believing the shit he sprouted about Australia's local dangerous fauna, especially after the crap he had fed her about 'Drop Bears' during their bike ride through the bush track yesterday.

"Watch out for Drop Bears!" Toshiro had called back to her mid-way through their bike ride. "It's their active season now."

"What the _fuck_ is a Drop Bear?" Rukia had screamed from her bike behind him.

"They're like a rabid sub-species of Koala," Toshiro explained casually, gesturing to the tall eucalyptus trees lining the bike path, the branches of which hung over them. "They drop out of trees and maul whoever they land on."

"You're winding me up, aren't you?" Rukia chuckled nervously after a beat.

Toshiro glanced over his shoulder at her and stared seriously at her.

"Why did you think I was so insistent on you wearing a helmet?"

Of course Rukia hadn't totally believed him, and made sure to test all the Australian citizens they crossed paths with for the rest of the afternoon. Everyone had backed up Toshiro's claim of course, and it wasn't until Rukia got back to her phone to Google it did she finally know the truth, at which time she pegged a lemon from the fruit bowl at Toshiro's head.

It was just too easy, not to mention hilarious.

What was also easy, was claiming every spider they found in the house (and there was a few) during her week long stay was 'extremely venomous, you'll be dead within minutes of a bite'.

Gin had flipped out when Rangiku had picked up a huntsman spider that was as big as her palm and showed him up close the 'fangs', which were just feelers.

"I'm glad we came up here," Rukia murmured into Toshiro's chest from where they lay on their picnic rug, looking up at the cloudless blue sky.

"I'm just glad we haven't seen a deadly mountain spider," Toshiro said seriously, which earned him another smack on the arm.

"You're an asshole," she repeated again, her new favourite way to describe him since he was

"You'll miss me though," Toshiro chuckled, arms wrapping back around her and tightening.

"We'll see," Rukia smirked, not giving any promises.

Toshiro grinned and kissed her forehead. It was easier to joke about it, then to admit they were both scared. He didn't want her to go home. They didn't have a next visit planned just yet, but it was likely Toshiro was going to visit her home in Ireland now that she had seen his. No dates had been confirmed yet, as they both had some sponsorship and media deals they needed to do first, and Toshiro was going to go with Karin to Chicago to help her settle in for a couple of weeks. Toshiro knew this goodbye could very well be as hard as it had been at the Olympics, it could even be worse and he was not at all prepared to go through it again, but they had to do it.

As if sensing where his mind was going, Rukia turned lifted her head off his heart suddenly and kissed him fiercely. Toshiro kissed her back, hand slipping to her hair while the other fell to her hip and kept her close. They kissed deeply and firmly, until they forgot where their minds had strayed, and until they couldn't feel the anxiety and unease in their stomachs.

Tonight, they were going to have an early dinner with Gin, Rangiku, Ichigo and Renji before each other the couples spent the rest of the night privately. Tomorrow they were to have breakfast at the family home with Isshin and the twins, then Rukia and Toshiro would head off to Sydney. Ichigo would drive up Gin, Rangiku and Renji to meet them at the airport the following day.

"We better get going," Toshiro murmured when Rukia pulled back. He tucked her loose hair behind her ear, as violet eyes stared deeply at him.

"Only if you carry me back down," she smirked and Toshiro chuckled, nodding in easy agreeance.

He deserved that, after all the wildlife bullshit he had put her through this week and especially today.

They stood, collected their rug and leftover food, packing them into Toshiro's backpack. Rukia wore that but ultimately Toshiro wore them both when the Irish skater climbed onto his back and the snowboarder gave her a piggyback back down the trail. Thank goodness Australia's mountains were low, though the skater didn't weigh much at all.

Finally making their way back down to the carpark, Toshiro put Rukia down and stretched his back as she put the bag in the car and climbed in after it. He joined her, and after another – briefer – kiss, he drove them straight to pub they had planned to meet their friends at.

They were the first there, so Toshiro bought their drinks and led Rukia out to the quiet beer garden out the back. It was much warmer down in the town, so they were able to shrug their jackets off and relax against the back of their bench seat.

"Irish pubs are better," Rukia seemed to decide as she let her eyes flicker about her surroundings.

"You are incorrect," Toshiro scoffed.

It was one of the very many inside jokes between the three Irish-Australia couples over the course of the week-long holiday. It had started with Renji, of course, claiming that Irish pubs were 'more superior' and Ichigo had risen to the occasion, taking offense that any pub in the world could be better than Jindabyne's local tavern. Rangiku had joined then, to back him up, and when Rukia had jumped in, well that's when Toshiro got involved, mostly out of principle. Gin, the brave fool, decided Scottish pubs were better, but he was shot down quickly by all of them – except Isshin, who decided to weigh in overhearing them bicker about it at the promised barbecue night at home.

"Misaki and I had some great nights in the Scottish pubs after our Olympics," Isshin told them, as he handed out his 'properly cooked' burger patties. "Though I don't think that helped her parent's opinions of me very much."

Toshiro and Ichigo had chuckled more at that last bit than the others, but they had more context, knowing what Misaki's parents had been like. Rukia laughed too, pointing out that she had read Misaki's book and knew exactly what they were like – probably not too dissimilar to many of the skate mums she saw in her sport.

"Irish pubs are more fun," Rukia teased him.

"Aussie pubs are just as fun," Toshiro rolled his eyes, "and you can sit outside because the weather is better."

Rukia sighed sufferingly then – the other topic of constant debate was the weather in each country.

Toshiro chuckled at her expression, knowing he had her there, and he drew her in, kissing her temple gently. Rukia pouted, but came willingly as he tucked her under his arm. After that they spoke amicably, mostly about their trip back to Sydney tomorrow, while waiting for the others to arrive.

"Should I be nervous about meeting Yukio tomorrow?" Rukia asked, glancing up at Toshiro as he sipped on his beer.

The snowboarder shook his head.

"No way," he smiled. "Yukio is going to love you."

"Rangiku says he's very protective of you," Rukia added, seeming a little unsure.

Toshiro shrugged, "Good thing you make me happier than I have ever been."

Rukia's lips were pursed, but a smiled played at them, and a slight pink hue built on her cheeks. Toshiro kissed her cheek gently, right across the blush. Far out, he loved putting that colour on her.

"I've loved seeing your home this week," the Irish accent murmured.

"My home has loved having you," Toshiro grinned back.

It had been fun. He had showed her as much as he could, with also balancing out their actives with well-needed down time to relax after their competitive seasons. They had harmonised time alone and time with their friends and the family too, which meant everyone was happy. They'd had particular fun at the skate ramp the other day, when Rangiku finally took to her board again after months, and she of course spent as much time showing off to Gin as possible, while Toshiro convinced Rukia to get on his board. She had clung to him with dear life as he rolled her up and down the kiddy ramps.

"I look ridiculous," she squeaked, nails around his bicep digging into his skin.

It reminded him of the impromptu snowboarding lesson he had given her during his Olympics training session.

"No worse than I did at the rink with you and Yuzu," Toshiro rolled his eyes and Rukia laughed at that.

"Which time?" Rukia teased.

"Both," Toshiro admitted with a laugh.

Yuzu of course had insisted on crashing their date one of the days, and dragged them to the local ice rink where she trained. Naturally, she and Rukia had glided across the ice like angels, while once again, Toshiro was teased endlessly from the sidelines where he was gripping the edge wall for dear life. He was built for boards, not skates.

Regardless of that, it was another amazing day with Rukia by his side, and also getting to spend time with Yuzu was a blessing in the post-Olympics drama era.

"Ireland won't be as homey," Rukia sighed then, straightening to reach for her drink. She took a long sip of her wine as Toshiro nuzzled himself into her neck, "but I do want to show you it."

"It will be homey," Toshiro murmured, kissing her throat gently. "Home is wherever you and I are together now."

He had gotten sappy. More so than usual, but Toshiro was glad to have someone to be sappy around, and it usually did delightful things to Rukia's normally pearl-white cheeks.

Rukia's chuckle was in her throat and he felt it, but she leaned her head on his in silent agreement. They stayed like that for a while, waiting for their friends to join them at the table. It wasn't a question that Rangiku would be late, and therefore Gin as well, as the strawberry blonde was never on time. Ichigo and Renji turned up eventually, throwing their jackets down on the table and heading to the bar to get their own drinks.

Toshiro and Rukia remained close, being affectionate with their cuddles, kisses and stupid smiles. It was nice.

Or it was, until Toshiro heard a gasp from behind them. Turning around, Toshiro's eyes widened and his breathing stopped when he saw Momo standing not too far away, staring at them. She looked bewildered, like she hadn't expected to see them there.

Toshiro swallowed, waiting for his ex-girlfriend to open her mouth and likely spew evil sentences about him and Rukia, maybe she'd even go as far as to go after his family again. Though the Toshiro she used to play with wasn't the same one that was staring back at her now; he wouldn't tolerate her behaviour and he sure as Hell wouldn't believe her lies.

Well, if Momo had ended up saying anything, Toshiro hadn't heard it. Rukia's arms came around his neck and she hooked a finger under his chin, turning him back to her before she pressed her lips to his. Softly at first, then with more vigour. Toshiro, as per usual, melted into the kiss, his mind wiped of all thoughts, all concept of their surroundings and of any witnesses. It was like the first kiss they shared in front of the whole Athlete Village Bar, but this time the kiss wasn't born of lust.

Rukia's fingers slid into his hair at the back of his neck, and massaged his scalp gently, as Toshiro leaned in closer to her, wrapping his arms around her middle and drawing her in. Her body was familiar and warm, the other end of the magnet pulling their souls together. This kiss wasn't lustful, but it was passionate still – fervent with love and care for one another.

"Dinner and a show?" Renji's booming laugh pulled the kissing couple harshly back to reality.

Toshiro and Rukia pulled back, lips swollen and cheeks flushed, to see Renji and Ichigo taking their seats at the table, drinks in hand and menus tucked under their arms. Renji shot Rukia a knowing smirk, while Ichigo only rolled his eyes playfully.

Glancing over his shoulder again, Toshiro found nothing but empty space where Momo had just stood, the woman obviously leaving without a scene. The snowboarder hoped this meant that she had decided to leave him be finally, allowing him to move on with his life and his new blossoming relationship.

And if not, Isshin had a restraining order ready to file.

Ichigo and Renji were discussing menu items when Toshiro turned back to look at Rukia, the woman regarding him through soft violet eyes.

"I wanted her to know you're mine," Rukia murmured lowly, as not to be overheard by the other couple.

It both surprised him and didn't surprise him that Rukia recognised his ex-girlfriend without having ever met her.

He felt his cheeks heat a little, his current girlfriend's words going a long way with him. He couldn't help but smile, grinning as he lifted her hand to his lips first. He kissed her knuckles gently before lowering her hand and leaning in for another proper kiss.

"I'm all yours," he murmured before connecting their lips. He was so proudly hers, for as long as she would have him.

This kiss was sweet too, but quicker as Rangiku and Gin arrived to interrupt them.

"Dinner and a show?" Rangiku drawled as she arrived, and this time Toshiro pulled back from Rukia with a suffering sigh.

"That's what I said," Renji laughed and the two high-fived as Toshiro huffed and Rukia leaned into his chest, chuckling quietly.

"An' they think we're the cuddly ones?" Gin smirked, sitting down at the end of the table, Rangiku all too happily seating herself in the tall man's lap.

"Not even we're this sickeningly cute," Rangiku laughed, tucking her head under Gin's chin, as Toshiro shot her a blank look.

Gin and Rangiku were sickeningly cute. Toshiro and Rukia were hot – cuddly, but hot. Smiley, but hot. Blushing, but hot. Sweet talking, but hot-

Okay, they were sickeningly cute. Toshiro decided he would admit to it and he was happy to – his relationship with Rukia was warm and beautiful, and if that meant 'sickeningly cute', well then that was a title he'd bear proudly.

Rukia must have agreed, as she pressed a small kiss to his jaw before snuggling into his chest, closer.

"No retort, Midget?" Renji questioned, eyebrows raised as Toshiro wrapped his arms around Rukia's shoulders and the skater hummed contently. "You've gone soft on us."

"Soft?" Rukia questioned, that feisty attitude spiking again. She pulled herself out of Toshiro's arms just enough to lean over and snatch Renji's menu out of his hands, smacking upside his head as she went.

The table erupted in laughter as Rukia returned to Toshiro's hold, and she held the menu up to their faces so they could kiss in private behind it.

While they kissed behind their menu, Ichigo and Renji settled close and shared their menu, glancing over the dinner options, while Gin murmured quiet words to Rangiku who blushed and giggled.

They were three Australian-Irish couples enjoying their private and intimate moments, but they were also six friends enjoying a night at the pub together. It was fun, and Toshiro considered himself the luckiest man in the world.

That night, the three couples enjoyed their meals and a number of drinks, the amount of which would not be disclosed. It was all highly entertaining, full of laughter and harmless bantering, and it was the perfect last night to spend in Jindabyne as a group.

At the end of the night, Toshiro and Rukia, and Rangiku and Gin, entered the shared flat, slinking off to their respective bedrooms. Given the next night was to be spent at Yukio's house, Toshiro knew sex was not guaranteed and he wanted to make sure he got at least one more perfect round in with his beautiful girlfriend.

It was slow sex. The first since the morning of Rukia's Olympics free skate finals. Toshiro made sure to properly map out every inch of her skin, first with his eyes, then with his hands, and finally with his lips and tongue. She squirmed beneath him, flustered but surprisingly patient, and when he was done, he allowed her to do the same to him, before they eventually came together as one, for a beautiful and loving moment, their movements as measured as they were passionate.

It was a long night, and maybe he should have slept more to combat tiredness on the road tomorrow, but they needed it. He wanted her to feel every ounce of his emotions, and all the care he held for.

"Good night, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured, kissing Rukia's forehead when they finally settled down for the night. She hummed sleepily in his arms, nuzzling into his chest again, her ear over his heart as usual.

Again, his mind was struck with the thought of how lucky he had gotten in life.

…

Breakfast at the Shiba home was low-key chaos, as per the norm for the busy household.

Ganju was there, sitting grumpily in the kitchen and sipping on his coffee, the slow intake of caffeine no doubt the only reason he was tolerating the extra people in his space so early in the morning.

It was sunny, so Toshiro and Karin took to the backyard with a soccer ball and played some one on one, while Yuzu had Rukia's attention wrapped up in her blog again. The Irish skater transferred some holiday photos from the past week to the blonde twin so that Yuzu could start a new thread under the hashtag 'RukiShiroAussieHoliday' and 'IreAussieCouplesRetreat'.

Rukia was on board with it, and Yuzu lost her mind when the woman agreed to give her an exclusive interview on her trip before they left.

Toshiro smiled softly at the two women across the yard, hunching over Yuzu's laptop and talking animatedly. He was enjoying watching them, until Karin's soccer ball slammed powerfully into his cheek.

Across the yard, Rukia's howl of laughter was heard as she obviously saw that.

"Pay attention, would you?" Karin smirked from several metres away. "Stop staring at her!"

Toshiro frowned, rubbing his face, the sharp sting of the ball slapping his skin leaving an angry red mark.

"I wasn't staring," he pouted back at Karin as she chased after the ball again.

Karin rolled her eyes, collecting the ball with her feet and doing some trick work to get it back around.

"You were," she threw him a look. "It would be cute if it didn't make you hopeless to play with."

There was no edge to her tone or any resentment behind it, but Toshiro wasn't silly. He knew how shit it felt to be left out, he had spent most of his childhood and early adulthood feeling like that. It must have been difficult for Karin to be the only single Shiba sibling, especially this week. It wasn't that she was lonely, or even wanting a romantic relationship like her brothers and sister, but to feel like she didn't belong when everyone was sitting with their partners, and going off to do couple activities or have private time, it must have felt like she wasn't wanted.

Speaking from experience, that was something Toshiro didn't want for his little sister. That was why he was going to Chicago with her – after hearing about her homesickness in Germany and about how she hated leaving him behind, he wanted to go with her and show that she didn't need to worry about that anymore. He was fine, and he really meant this time. He would help her settle in for the first two weeks of her move, and they would get some quality brother-sister bonding time in the small window between the end of his season and the start of hers. Just because he was in a new relationship, didn't mean she was forgotten.

Thank goodness he had won the gold medal at the Olympics, because he was going to need the money to keep flying between home, Chicago and Ireland.

"On your left," Toshiro called, slipping past her and sneaking the soccer ball away.

"How rude," Karin chortled, happy to have the challenge again. She caught back up in an instant and stole the ball back, turning with agility Toshiro didn't have and going for the makeshift goal posts they had set up in the large yard.

Toshiro stopped running and simply watched, grin wide as Karin struck the ball with precision and strength, sending it flying through the goals.

They didn't have a net, so the ball soared through the air, eventually slamming into the brick wall of Ichigo's small flat behind the main house.

"Hey!" Ichigo's disgruntled yelp came across the yard but they ignored him.

Karin cartwheeled and threw herself into a backflip – the typical Sam Kerr goal scoring celebration, as Toshiro danced the over the top moves he would normally do with Rangiku, such as at the Olympics opening ceremony.

"What's the score now?" Karin teased as she made her way back to him. "Toshiro none, me seven?"

"Hey, I scored one!" Toshiro pushed her shoulder in mock offence, "and you're a professional, you should have scored ten goals by now."

Karin made everyone look bad at soccer because she was so incredibly talented at it, but Toshiro had been good at it through school (just not _Karin good_).

She pushed him back, harsher.

"Maybe you would score more if you kept your eyes on the ball," Karin laughed.

"Is that so?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow and grinned widely.

He took off then, running as fast as he could towards the abandoned ball. Karin, being the sprinter she was, caught up to him before he could reach it, they tried to push each other away and ended up tripping over together, stacking it on the grass.

They looked up at each other, first with shock, then offence that they had both pushed each other, and then with humour, as they erupted into laughter.

Karin shoved him again when they sat up, and that only caused Toshiro to laugh louder.

"Asshole," she rolled her eyes at him. Toshiro grinned – it certainly was a popular way to describe him this week, but it was all in jest.

The black haired twin rolled her eyes at him, and shoved him one last time.

"Are you nervous about moving to Chicago?" Toshiro asked then, feeling the need to check in quickly with the feisty twin, especially in the more private moments when it was just them.

Karin shook her head, reaching for the ball that was now in their range and brought it into her lap. She spun it idly, looking thoughtful as she did.

"I feel better about it this time," she told him, voice lower now. "I feel more mature, like I've grown up a bit since Germany. I also feel more confident that you'll be okay."

She rolled her eyes again, feigning suffering.

"You'll be too busy ogling your girlfriend through the phone to miss me," Karin added teasingly.

"That's not true," Toshiro shot her a mildly offended look. "Of course I'll miss you. I just won't mope as much."

"Thank goodness," Karin smirked at him, before she looked back at her ball, spinning it in her ball in her hands again. "I'm glad you're coming to Chicago with me for the first two weeks."

"I'm excited to spend some more time with you," Toshiro smiled at her, "and maybe Sam Kerr."

Karin laughed at that, her dark eyes glinting with humour as she looked up at him. She nudged him gently.

"I'm glad you're happier now," Karin smiled at him, "and I'm glad it's with someone who lifts you up like Rukia does."

As opposed to Momo, who spent more time putting him down than anything else.

"Thanks," Toshiro smiled softly at her – it was disguised slightly, but Toshiro knew Karin well enough to know that was her way of telling him she approved of Rukia and she was happy for them.

They shared a look before Karin shoved him harshly again, and called him 'lame and sappy'.

"Kids!" Isshin's voice interrupted them, hollering loudly across the backyard. "Breakfast!"

Toshiro groaned as he stood before holding a hand out to Karin to help her up, but the dark twin smacked it away. He chuckled and threw his arm over her shoulders as they wandered back to the deck, where their family and guests were serving themselves breakfast.

Isshin and Kukaku had rustled up a huge spread for breakfast, with everything from greasy fried bacon and eggs (as an off-season treat), to fresh fruit and muesli. They didn't sit at the kitchen dining table this time, but in small clusters on the back deck, casual and relaxed.

Toshiro forwent putting his own plate together in favour of catching up with Rukia, pecking her cheek gently before pulling her into his lap in one of the deck chairs. He stole bits of her plate, which she tolerated all of two times before she started slapping his hand away.

"Get your own," she whined, though a chuckle was in her voice.

"I don't want to get up," Toshiro pouted, tightening his free arm around her waist. He was warm and comfortable, and he had Rukia Kuchiki in his lap, for goodness sake – he wasn't going anywhere until he had to.

The skater rolled her eyes, and let him steal another slice of watermelon of her plate. Isshin eventually handed him a plate with food, pursing his lips disapprovingly at having to play waiter to his second son.

Toshiro knew Isshin secretly didn't mind it, on this special occasion.

The other couples spoke about their plans for their last full day in Jindabyne; Rangiku spoke excitedly about Gin spending the afternoon with her father on a fishing trip, while Ichigo and Renji had plans to go for a long drive out to the coast and back.

Afterward breakfast, Toshiro helped his father clean up while everyone finished eating – the least he could do after Isshin had cooked for everyone (and got him that plate of food). Once that was done, Toshiro packed the car with some road trip snacks for the journey back to Sydney, while Yuzu re-captured Rukia and drilled with her last interview questions.

"Now I don't personally want to have to ask this," he could hear Yuzu saying as he approached them, ready to drag Rukia away, "because he's my brother and it's gross but… the fans will want to know –is Toshiro a good kisser?"

Toshiro choked, stumbling over his own feet.

Rukia, who could see him over Yuzu's shoulder, smirked, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"He could win a gold medal for it," she drawled, as Yuzu's fingers typed rapidly on her laptop keyboard. "As he could with most things in the bedroom-"

"Wow we're going to be late," Toshiro jumped in, but not quickly enough it seemed, as he spotted Yuzu's word for word typed notes. "Don't include that, Yuzu."

"The fans want to know," the blonde twin pouted.

"Yeah Babe," Rukia smirked. "The fans want to know, and I do not let my fans down."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes at her.

"We have to go," Toshiro said firmly then. "We wouldn't want to be late for our other 'exclusive' interview this evening."

That night they were due on 'The Project' to give a live interview to be televised nationally – their Olympic romance had certainly gained media attention at home, especially as Twitter's trending hashtags only grew in popularity after their 'ship' was confirmed sailing after Toshiro's halfpipe win.

"One more?" Yuzu held up a finger, and Rukia nodded, humouring her.

"Now that you've practically perfected the Quad Lutz and the season is over," Yuzu read from her notes, "what is your next big goal?"

Rukia hesitated, seeming unsure for a moment, and Toshiro raised an eyebrow at her. He realised they hadn't spoken about it, and he thought maybe Rukia didn't know what was next for her.

"I think I want to focus on my personal life for a little while," Rukia seemed to decide. "I learned a lot about myself at the Olympics, and found my passion for the ice again. I feel like I've accomplished everything I set out to do, so it's time to turn my focus to other areas of my life."

She shot Toshiro a small smile and he returned it with one of his own.

Rukia had dominated the skating world, and had set World and Olympic records, and with her reaching the point of starting to age out of her sport, it was probably time she felt the need to focus on what would come next. Maybe she would go straight into coaching or a related area, or perhaps she would return to dancing, or maybe she would take a break altogether?

It was her call, of course, and Toshiro knew she had much more in her life to focus on now. She had repaired things with her brother, she had her first serious relationship to manage from the otherside of the world, and she had best friends in the exact same boat.

"I can't imagine the skating world without you," Yuzu smiled sadly down at her laptop.

Rukia chuckled then.

"You young things aren't getting rid of me that quickly," Rukia smirked at the twin. "I've got at least one more World Championship to steal from Hiyori before I call it a day, maybe more."

She rolled her eyes playfully while Yuzu beamed up happily.

The girls stood and hugged, but eventually Toshiro had to remind Rukia they needed to leave to make it to Sydney in time.

Rukia's farewells were lengthy, of course. Yuzu cried a little, and even Karin had some kind words to say and a hug of goodbye, which was saying something big from the girl who rarely showed affection for anyone not in her immediate family circle. Ganju nodded, which was about as much affection as he was capable of, Kukaku grinned and hugged Rukia tightly, as did Yoruichi. Rangiku, Gin, Renji and Ichigo just waved Rukia off, since they would see her at the airport the next day, and for Renji and Gin, they would also be flying home with her.

Isshin's farewell was the longest, and that wasn't a surprise to Toshiro, other than the fact he beat Yuzu's for length. He hugged Rukia in one of his fatherly bear hugs and didn't let her go for several minutes.

"Make sure you call us when you land," Isshin ordered, while Toshiro rolled his eyes. That was his line!

"I will," Rukia agreed. "Thanks for having me."

"Thank you for being a part of Toshiro's life," Isshin murmured back. "You're welcome back any time, you're part of this family now."

Rukia's face was hard to read when the father of four finally released her. She nodded stiffly in agreement.

Toshiro stole Rukia back then, taking the skater's hand and leading her out to the car. His family followed to wave them off and they stood in the driveway as Toshiro pulled away, driving off down the street. Rukia waved back them, her eyes were glassy.

"You okay?" Toshiro asked, reaching out to hold her hand for a moment.

"I going to miss them," Rukia answered evenly, though her voice was thicker than normal.

Toshiro grimaced, squeezing her hand and lifting her knuckles to his lips for a chaste peck.

"You will see them soon I'm sure," Toshiro murmured. "I'll be lucky if Yuzu doesn't stow away in my luggage when I come to visit you, and no doubt Dad will call five times a day during my trip just to talk to you."

Rukia gave a wet laugh at that, and she squeezed his hand back.

"I can't wait," she grinned, looking less sad for a moment.

The drive to Sydney was peaceful, certainly more so than the trip down a week ago. Rukia took over the Spotify playlist, and she sang along to her favourite songs, passing Toshiro snacks when required. They played car games and spent most of the five hour trip laughing. It was fun, and it gave Toshiro and idea for a future holiday should they get to spend more time off together in future.

He was certain they had plenty of years ahead of them for that.

They stopped half way to stretch their legs, and Toshiro pulled into a service station so they could refuel the car. It was a typical tourist road trip stopping point, so it didn't surprise Toshiro in the slightest to find a number of souvenir items for sale in the shop. Normally it wouldn't interest him, being that he wasn't a tourist, but a small novelty keyring caught his attention. It was of a soft koala, the letters 'AUS' written across its otherwise grey chest. Grinning to himself, he bought it and returned to the car, where Rukia was out and stretching her leg across the car's bonnet.

"I got you a little present to take home," Toshiro smirked, handing it to her. "It's a Drop Bear."

Rukia shoved him harshly at the reminder of his little prank on her, but she giggled a little as she rolled her eyes. Nevertheless, she accepted the token souvenir and later, when they were back in the car, Toshiro watched with a small smile as Rukia fished her home keys out of her carryon bag and threaded them onto her new novelty keyring.

"Shut up," was all she said on the matter, and Toshiro chuckled, returning his eyes to the road.

The afternoon sun set in as they reached in the state capital, and they had to drive straight to 'The Project' recording studio, where they were immediately accosted by a small makeup team. They changed quickly into the interview clothes and the makeup team tidied them up enough to look like they hadn't been up all night and then spent all day in a small Corolla.

They waited in their dressing room, Toshiro barely resisting the urge to kiss and ruin Rukia's lipstick. Toshiro simply wore dark jeans with a white button up shirt, while Rukia had decided on a lilac dress that was both figure-hugging and brought out the purple in her eyes.

"You look gorgeous," he told her, watching as she picked with her now bare nails (they makeup team had seen to the removal of Rangiku's green polish).

"You too, Handsome," Rukia's eyes swept over him appreciatively.

They were called up during a commercial break, and they were introduced quickly to the hosts, Peter, Carrie and Charlie, before they were sat on stools behind the long news desk.

Before Toshiro had even been able to register the live audience sitting mere metres away, a producer was calling their attention.

The lights went up, the cameras moved in on them and the audience cheered loudly

"Welcome back," Carrie smiled into the camera directly in front of her, her blonde hair looking golden under the studio lights. "Our next guests stole both medals and our hearts at the recent Winter Olympics. You may know them as RukiShiro, but we know them as Rukia Kuchiki and Toshiro Shiba."

The camera closest to Rukia and Toshiro focused in on them and the couple smiled and waved to the live audience. Thankfully Rukia was holding Toshiro's hand under the desk, because he was feeling a bit nervous. He had done live interviews before but this one was a much bigger deal, especially in the wake of their recent triumphs both professionally and personally. More of the general public knew his name now, his Instagram following had increased almost fivefold.

"How are you guys?" Charlie asked, his smile bright.

"We're good," Rukia answered first. "Great actually!"

"We're excited to have you here," Charlie told them happily. "Are you two aware of the huge following the hashtag 'RukiShiro' has across social media?"

Toshiro and Rukia laughed at that, sharing a knowing look. They knew now that Yuzu was behind that trending tag, which was both weird and a relief to know it was someone who cared for them, but they weren't going to reveal Yuzu's involvement as she wanted to keep her identity behind the fan page a secret.

"On Twitter alone, there have been millions of tweets and retweets about your relationship," Charlie continued. "That's got to be quite confronting?"

On the screens behind them, a screenshot of a Twitter post by RukiaFansOfficial appeared – it was the photographs taken of them dancing together in the Spanish bar during their first date. It had over five million retweets on it.

"It's very unnerving," Toshiro chuckled at that. "Possibly more for me as I'm not quite used to this level of attention, certainly not outside my sport."

"You mean this kind of attention?" Peter asked cheekily, a smirk forming on his face as he gestured to the screens which was now displaying the Calvin Klein modelling shot he had done.

_Twelve million retweets._

The audience whooped and whistled, and Rukia seemed all too delighted by it all, the skater biting her lip as her eyes swept over the photo once again.

"How has it been for you, Rukia?" Carrie asked then. "You have been in the spotlight for a long time."

"Yes I have," Rukia agreed, a slight grimace on her features. "Not always for the best reasons either. This has been far more positive though, and I think my fans have been glad to see me happy."

Toshiro squeezed Rukia's hand under the desk. He knew she'd had spent years getting a hard time from the media about her off-the-ice activities, particularly in regards to who she slept with over the years. It must have been frustrating to be succeeding so magnificently on the ice, for it all to be dismissed by the media in favour of blasting her over her social life.

"Well you guys do look very happy," Carrie smiled, and behind her images popped up on the screen of Toshiro and Rukia walking together at the closing ceremony, holding hands and wearing each other's team beanies. The audience 'aww'-ed on cue. "Is this your first time in Australia, Rukia?"

"Yes," Rukia sent Toshiro another smile, her violet eyes bright under the studio lights. "I've had an amazing time getting to see Toshiro's home and spend time with his family. I didn't appreciate the Drop Bears prank though."

The audience and the hosts erupted in laughter as the Irish woman rolled her eyes playfully and Toshiro smirked at her.

"I had a lot of fun scaring her with the wildlife," Toshiro chuckled. "Especially telling her that there could be deadly snakes around when we were half way up the mountain."

The audience continued to laugh. Australians loved nothing more than stirring up tourists with nonsense about the dangerous local animals.

Rukia's face was unimpressed, which only made the audience laugh more.

"I made him carry me the rest of the way up," she shot him a playful glare, "and all the way back down."

Toshiro shrugged casually, "Worth it."

From there, the interview turned attention on to their recent successes at the Winter Olympics, and even more recently, their World Championship wins. They asked about Rukia's Quad Lutz and Toshiro's switch backside 1260, and what these new jumps would mean for the future of the sport.

"Trick-based snowboarding like the slopestyle and halfpipe events are flexible in what you can do," Toshiro explained. "New tricks are invented every season, so I think we might see some more switch tricks, and some totally new ones altogether. I think the real focus for a lot of riders now though will be getting those 1440s down because that's really what is separating the pack at the moment."

"Skating is much more rigid," Rukia added then. "There are only so many jumps that can be performed, and it's always been about getting as many rotations in as possible. Landing the Quad was a huge moment not only for me but for female skaters everywhere, so I'm sure we're going to see other skaters pushing to attempt it too, and Quads in other jumps as well."

They had a commercial break shortly after that, and the studio lights dimmed for a moment as the hosts relaxed. Producers and the makeup team converged on the news desk and assistants ran around filling up their water glasses, which Toshiro was immensely appreciative off. It was hot under these lights!

All too soon, they were back live on the air.

"Now we couldn't possibly discuss the recent Winter Olympics without addressing the drama," Charlie turned to them. "How did you handle all that?"

On the screens, the picture of Rukia eating lunch with the sound guy appeared, and the headline from the gossip article that implied she was already moving on from Toshiro.

Rukia exhaled.

"Much of it was a misunderstanding," Rukia told them, and gestured to the screens. "That particular photo was from a lunch meeting I was having, it was purely professional."

"It must be hard to build a new relationship when the gossip sites are posting things like that," Carrie agreed, "without much fact checking happening."

Rukia nodded, "It's not easy trying to work out how you feel when the media is trying to tell you how to feel. I've learned to ignore it over the years, but it can still be confronting at times."

"Of course," Carrie agreed before she turned to Toshiro. "What was it like for you?"

"It was difficult," Toshiro swallowed. "I tried my best to ignore it all, but I know certain things got to me more than I like to admit. I am so impressed and proud of Rukia to have stayed true to herself and her own feelings through it."

Every gossip article got to him, everything Momo said hit him like a thousand daggers, and it had been his downfall.

The hand that had previously been holding his slipped up to the back of his neck, and Toshiro felt Rukia's delicate fingers sliding into his hairline gently. In turn, he placed his free hand on her thigh under the desk – it wasn't sexual in nature, just comforting. Neither of them liked to discuss the drama of the Olympics but they were aware their fans wanted to know.

They had drawn the line at Rukia's deleted Instagram post, which of course still existed in the form of screenshots posted on gossip sites and the social medias of any haters. That was one they were not prepared to explain, and that had been made clear to the show's producers when they agreed to the interview.

They did however, consent to the infamous slopestyle crash to be brought up, and of course it was the next topic of discussion to arise.

Toshiro winced as the footage played over and over again. It was quite confronting seeing it from the home audience perspective for the first time. It was no wonder everyone had flipped out – Toshiro looked dead when his body finally stopped near the bottom of the slope, the medical team converging on him in a flurry of panic.

"Can you tell us what happened here, Toshiro?" Charlie asked.

"I know the least about what happened there," Toshiro tried to laugh, and thankfully the audience helped him. "I barely remember it."

When prompted again, Toshiro went on to explain what he did remember; about how the nerves of the finals had gotten to him (he left both Momo and Rukia out of that bit), how he couldn't really remember the run or much of what happened after, other than his father and the medics surrounding him. He told them about the his trip to the hospital and that he'd had all sorts of scans, before his doctor finally released him and signed him off to compete in the upcoming halfpipe finals.

"Were you loopy at all?" Peter, always the host to try and draw a laugh out to ease tensions, asked playfully.

"Very," Toshiro agreed with a bit of a laugh then, happy to draw attention to the more humorous elements. "I got given a sandwich by a nurse, and I cried laughing at it because it reminded me of my competitor Ståle Sandbech."

The audience laughed then too; they didn't need to know much about Ståle other than his name for it to be funny.

"Rukia, were you there?" Carrie asked.

The Irish skater swallowed and shook her head. Toshiro rubbed her leg gently under the desk to encourage her. They didn't speak about it anymore, but Toshiro knew Rukia was still shaken by the incident.

"I watched it live from the village," Rukia looked down sadly for moment. "I genuinely thought I had lost him."

The hosts and the audience went quiet for a moment, and Toshiro moved his hand off Rukia's thigh in order to pull her stool slightly closer, letting his arm wrap around her waist when she was close enough. Rukia's head rested on his shoulder for a moment, and the audience cooed softly.

Charlie cleared his throat, shifting as he flipped his notes page over.

"Well luckily for us all, that was not the case," Charlie exhaled. "And, by the looks of things, it didn't hinder your performance any in the halfpipe, Toshiro."

The replaying crash scene on the screens changed to that off the halfpipe medal ceremony, showing Toshiro be awarded the gold, and a moment later, him striding towards the barriers, lifting Rukia up and over as he kissed her deeply, his family and friends cheering madly in the background.

"I got the gold and the girl," Toshiro smirked then, squeezing Rukia gently for a moment, and the audience clapped loudly.

"Of course that draws some parallels to your parents," Peter chuckled, and the screens showed grainy footage of a young Isshin and Misaki embracing after Misaki's win at the Oslo Winter Olympics.

Toshiro grinned at it – of course he had seen that footage before. It was one of the most heart-warming clips he and his siblings had of their mother.

"My father is very proud of me."

Again the audience laughed and Toshiro felt Rukia chuckle at his side.

"Alright last question," Charlie grinned. "Can you tell us what is next for #RukiShiro?"

Rukia tilted her head up to look at Toshiro, grinning and biting her lip playfully. Toshiro returned the grin, and leaned down to press a chaste peck to her lips. Still the audience cooed and some clapping broke out.

Rukia chuckled at that and turned back to the hosts.

"Well I think it's only fair that a trip to Ireland is in order," Rukia drawled. "We'll see whose pubs are better."

She tossed a wink at Toshiro who winked back.

"I showed you mine," he smirked. "You should me yours."

Peter clapped and chuckled as the audience too got excited at their blatant flirting and affectionate gestures.

As promised, that was the last question, and Charlie wrapped things down for the night, promising they – the hosts and the show that was – would return on Monday at the same time.

When the lights finally went off and the cameras pulled away, Toshiro exhaled in relief and sighed contently as Rukia pulled him in for a hug. He squeezed her tightly before they were interrupted by a producer asking if they wanted to talk to any of the audience. Toshiro and Rukia agreed, figuring they could spend a few minutes with any fans they had out there.

There were a lot surprisingly, but mostly the audience members who remained behind just wanted to congratulate them, and tell Rukia she was now an honorary Aussie, which had that Irish skater grinning happily.

They said their goodbyes, first to the audience and then to the hosts they passed as they exited the studio. They returned to the dressing room briefly to collect their stuff before they headed back out to studio carpark – which was only for staff and guests of the show – before they drove off, through the bustling Sydney city centre and out towards the Northern Beaches where Yukio was to accommodate them for the night.

"Woah," Rukia breathed as they drove over the Harbour Bridge, and she pointed out her window at the Opera House. "Do they hold musicals in there?"

"Occasionally," Toshiro murmured, stroking his thumb over her knuckles, their linked hands resting over the handbrake. "I think it's mostly orchestral and opera stuff though, and they have plays on and the ballet. It's all very posh, but worth it. We'll go next time, and hopefully the sails will be lit up then."

Rukia's eyes turned on him and they beamed with excitement.

"Maybe Byakuya could come with us?" she asked. "He would love that!"

"Of course," Toshiro smiled, eyes on the road as he picked up her hand and brought her hand up to his lips for a gentle kiss.

As long as Rukia came back, Toshiro didn't mind who she brought with her.

They continued driving out to the beaches, and eventually Toshiro was pulling into the familiar driveway of his high school best friend. They got out of the car, and even though it was hard to see the beach opposite the house in the dark, Toshiro could hear the waves roaring and it was familiar and comforting. It reminded him of Yukio.

He held Rukia's hand and led her up to the front door, where Yukio met them having seen their car pull up.

"Far out, she's a beauty," Yukio smirked at Rukia as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek in greeting.

Rukia chuckled, accepting the cheek kiss and allowing Yukio to guide her into the rest of the house.

Yukio's place was far nicer than Toshiro and Rangiku's little flat, with an open plan living room and kitchen, a wide backyard and modern décor.

He had years of surfing world titles under his belt and sponsorship deals left, right and centre. Not only that, but he had always been well off though due to his family's business. His parent's house in Jindabyne was a mansion – one that had been the location of all their childhood sleepovers, and later, their high school parties, so the blond had grown accustomed to a certain level of luxury.

Toshiro had seen Rukia's flat in the background of their video calls before Worlds, but he hadn't seen the whole thing, and he wondered where it would sit on the scale from Yukio's huge beach house, to Toshiro's tiny flat. The snowboarder imagined it to be luxurious, like Yukio's place, but smaller. He'd have to find out when he visited.

"Are you lovebirds hungry?" Yukio called out as he circled around the bar in his living room, pulling out wine glasses and topping them with an expensive white. "I've made ya some tucker."

"We could eat," Toshiro nodded, answering for them as Rukia glanced at him in confusion, probably over the word 'tucker'.

Yukio handed them each a glass of wine and led them through to the large backyard, where he had set up dinner for the three of them on the back deck. Toshiro pulled out a chair for Rukia and Yukio shot him a smirk, to which the white haired man could only roll his eyes.

"So chivalrous," Yukio commented dryly.

"A true gentleman," Rukia agreed, as Toshiro flushed a little at the comments.

They sat down together and Yukio served up dinner, which was a roast vegetable and couscous salad with some lean lamb chops, grilled perfectly.

"Congratulations on your win in South Africa," Rukia smiled to the blond over the table. "Toshiro said it was an exciting win."

"Thanks," Yukio grinned cheekily over his wine. "The conditions weren't easy, but I don't like easy."

"Neither do I," Rukia agreed, and Yukio held his wine glass up for her to cheers her and the Irish skater complied with a grin of her own.

Toshiro smiled softly to himself as he watched. They were getting along beautifully, but he supposed they had more in common than they might have expected. They were both athletes at the top of their fields, and had been at the top for years now. They also both liked Toshiro, which turned out to be something the snowboarder hadn't expected to be used against him later in the night.

Rukia was in tears, holding her stomach as she howled with laughter, and Yukio was grinning ear to ear as he told her stories from primary school and high school.

"No, he didn't!" Rukia gasped. The hand that wasn't holding her stomach was gripping Toshiro's forearm tightly as she laughed, like it was the only think stabilising her.

"He did," Yukio chuckled, shooting Toshiro an evil smirk. "Dropped right to the floor."

The delightful story in question was when they had first met Rangiku on day one of high school. Rangiku was older than them, since both of the boys had skipped grades to be in that year group, and even then, Rangiku was rather developed for her age and not too afraid of flaunting it either. She was as intimidating as she was beautiful, even then.

She spotted Toshiro and Yukio playing their Gameboys in the quad at lunch time, and decided she wanted to befriend them, claiming they were 'the cutest little things' she had ever seen. She had hugged Toshiro right to her chest and, being that he was suffocating in that chest of hers, he had passed out and fainted.

That was day one of high school, and of their friendship with Rangiku, though the friendship had started later, when she had sat with Toshiro in sickbay for the rest of lunch.

"She hugged you," Rukia wheezed, turning on Toshiro then, "and you fainted?!"

"Shut up," Toshiro pouted playfully. "I was ten!"

Yukio snorted into his wine as Rukia laughed again, even louder. So Toshiro turned on his blond friend.

"At least I didn't wet myself when I met her," Toshiro shot the blond a look.

Rukia, picking up what he was putting down, turned to Yukio with wide and disbelieving eyes, as the blond froze for a moment.

Yukio, the shy eleven year old who, at the time, had very little social confidence or skills, had panicked and wet himself when Toshiro fainted and Rangiku had turned to him in shock, asking him what had happened.

It was pretty clear to Rangiku then why these two boys didn't have many friends.

"Okay, look," Yukio put his wine glass down, calmly. "It wasn't our finest hour. In our defence, Rangiku was terrifying and we were babies."

Rukia was crying, wiping her eyes on her napkin, but she didn't stop laughing for hours after that. Every few minutes, she started up again, giggling during the post-meal clean up, and during the movie they watched after dinner. Yukio sighed in resignation every time they heard the skater giggle, and Toshiro shot him an accusing look – he had started it!

Rukia and Toshiro ended up taking a small walk before bed, but that walk pertained largely to sitting on the sandy beach, finishing off the last of the wine. They had a little heart to heart when they reminisced on the Olympics again and spoke of their favourite moments, and when Rukia started speaking of her final skate and what she wanted to do it. She planned on doing a Chicago musical piece for her sister, and a piece for them as a coupel, getting an original piece of music composed, one to be titled 'Going For Gold' like Masaki's book, and that would be her final hurrah.

Toshiro was touched that she wanted to skate for them.

They returned to the house and got ready for bed. Of course, Rukia hadn't forgotten the fainting story, and the giggles started back up. Even as they brushed their teeth before bed, Rukia was giggling, and of course she didn't stop even as they climbed into bed at the end of the night.

"So no sex then?" Toshiro murmured quietly, trying to kiss her neck and distract her from the old story.

"In a minute," Rukia laughed, turning to bury her head in the pillow to stifle her laughs.

Toshiro sighed and flopped back on his side of the bed, giving up. He didn't want Rukia to laugh during sex, especially not at his expense, so he waited patiently for Rukia to return to him when she was ready, and gods she was going to get it when she did.

…

The next morning, they woke up lazily. Toshiro laid on his back, listening to the ocean outside and running his fingers up and down Rukia's bare back lightly. She was still asleep, breathing evenly, pace almost matching the quiet crashing of the waves on the beach.

They had ended up having sex last night, though it was relatively brief as they were both tired. They had also tried to be quieter than normal, and somehow that made things more thrilling as they both tried to push each other to finish while trying to stifle their own moans.

He made Rukia suffer for all the laughter and teasing of course, when he settled himself between her thighs, spending more time bitting her legs and hips, and breathing over her clit and entrance, than actually touching her where she so badly wanted to be touched.

Rukia had better believe that Toshiro had always intended to send her home with bites and hickeys all over her legs.

The woman in questioned sighed and mumbled against his chest, and Toshiro lifted his head to kiss her crown, which of course rested over his heart.

As always.

"Good morning, Beautiful," Toshiro murmured.

Rukia mumbled a barely coherent good morning of her own as she stretched briefly, before nuzzling into his chest further.

"Do I have to go today?" she asked eventually and Toshiro smiled sadly.

"I'm happy to have you stay," he murmured, tightening his arms around her, "but I don't think Byakuya will be happy with me if I don't let you get back for your sponsorship commitments."

As much as Byakuya had come out in support for his sister's new relationship, Toshiro certainly didn't want to push the man's buttons. In this scenario, Toshiro was practically Jinta and that left a bad taste in his mouth.

Rukia pouted, so Toshiro kissed her forehead gently, smoothing away the sad lines.

They had survived much worse than this, they were going to be fine. They had to be confident with their relationship for this to work and Toshiro was sure he and Rukia would be able to survive the long distance – they would just miss each other terribly.

Rukia must have known that too, her soft lips pressing gently against the edge of his jaw.

Reluctantly, they both got up.

They showered, changed and packed their stuff back into the car. Yukio cooked them breakfast, and they ate out on the balcony overlooking the beach. It was another bright and sunny day, and it was far warmer in Sydney than it was in the snowy mountains region.

"Next time you come over, we'll spend a few days at the beach," Toshiro murmured to Rukia.

"Is there any point me asking about the sharks?" Rukia sighed, eyes narrowing at him slightly.

Toshiro grinned evilly and shrugged. It was probably a case of 'what she didn't know, didn't hurt her' – though a shark would definitely hurt her if one were to attack. It was unlikely though… _probably._

Rukia chuckled and shook her head, turning back to her breakfast.

The time to leave came too soon, and before they knew it, they were in the driveway, hugging Yukio goodbye.

"Don't be a stranger," Yukio grinned at Rukia.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Rukia chuckled, her accent seeming much more Irish next to Yukio's heavy Australian drawl.

Toshiro's hand shake with Yukio turned into a strong one-armed hug, and he made Yukio promise to come home to Jindabyne over winter to spend some time with him and Rangiku back in their old haunts. The blond agreed easily, and a moment later he was waving them off down the road as the Shiba family had done not twenty-four hours ago.

Toshiro and Rukia held hands for the entire drive to the airport, only letting go as Toshiro pulled the car into an empty spot in the huge carpark complex.

He unloaded her suitcase while she fiddled with her carryon bag.

When Toshiro turned back to Rukia, she was looking at the terminal entrance with an apprehensive stare.

Toshiro swallowed; it was getting all too real now.

"Come on," he said, holding out a hand for her to take, while the other rest on the handle of her suitcase.

Rukia took his hand and they headed out of the car park, across the road and into the terminal entrance. They got her checked in and her luggage deposited at bag drop. Rangiku, Gin, Ichigo and Renji arrived shortly after, and went about getting the two Irish men checked into their flight as well.

There were still a couple of hours before the flight, so the three couples found a big table at one of the coffee shops and made themselves comfortable.

Only passengers could go through security, so they opted to leave that until the last minute, hoping to spend as much time together as possible before they would have to inevitably part ways.

They sat with their coffees, in their couples, cuddled and close together. At one point, a couple of Rangiku's fans spotted her and came over to say hello, and upon recognising all the other '#IreAussie' couples, asked to get photos.

They allowed it for a moment, smiling for the cameras together, before Rangiku politely sent the girls away. They thanked her and left quickly, their excited tones drifting away as they did, before Rangiku settled back against Gin's chest and hugged him close.

Toshiro had Rukia tucked under his chin, his arms wrapped around her tightly, while Ichigo and Renji kissed lazily in the corner, not fussed about any looks they were getting for their public display of affection.

Unfortunately, as per the running theme of the morning, their time together came to its close far too quickly.

With zero enthusiasm, the three couples wandered over to the departure gates and had their last embraces. Toshiro shook hands with Gin and Renji, while Rukia hugged Rangiku and Ichigo goodbye, but eventually his girlfriend returned to him. Her lips were turned down sadly as she threw herself into Toshiro's arms.

"I don't feel well," Rukia murmured against Toshiro's shoulder, her nails digging into his back slightly.

"Neither," Toshiro rubbed her back soothingly, and pressed a kiss to her temple.

He felt nauseous, his stomach flipping uncomfortably at the thought of being without Rukia again for who even knows how long. They were both feeling the anxiety of separating again, but Toshiro knew that it wouldn't last forever. He would see her again, as soon as they could lock in some dates. They were a strong couple, and they cared about each other too much to not make this work. Besides, if they could make it through March, with the newness of their relationship and the stress of their respective World Championships, well then they could make it through the first part of their off-season together.

With that more hopeful thought in mind, Toshiro squeezed Rukia tightly before he moved his hand up to her chin, hooking his finger under it and guiding her lips to his.

They kissed deeply and passionately, pouring their emotions into each other.

_We'll be fine._

Toshiro held Rukia almost impossibly close as her arms came around his neck, her hands sliding into his hair.

_We're going to see each other again soon._

Tongues danced as lips moved, hips pressed together but sexual desires were quiet compared to the desire just to stay physically close to each other.

_I already miss you._

Eventually someone reminded them of the time, and Toshiro pulled back unwillingly. He swallowed and rested his forehead on Rukia's, his hand cupping her cheek as his thumb stroked her cheekbone gently.

"Call me when you land at your stopover," Toshiro murmured, "and then again when you get home, don't worry about what time it is here."

"I will," Rukia agreed. "Send me updates so I stay sane."

Toshiro kissed her forehead in agreeance. If she got Wi-Fi on the plane she could receive whatever updates he could send, otherwise she would have to wait until she got off the plane to, but as long as she knew he was thinking of her, she might cope with it better.

And Toshiro would be thinking of her, every minute of every day, not just while she was flying home.

Gin was beside her, murmuring that they were running out of time to get through security. Rukia stepped back reluctantly, her body dragging out his arms, their fingers threading through each other before they stepped away, too far back to reach each other without stepping forward.

Toshiro exhaled shakily, refusing to move his feet, otherwise Rukia would never get home.

"Say hi to your brother for me!" Toshiro called to her. "Stay safe!"

"Bye, Babe!" Rangiku called to Gin. She was smiling and waving but there were tears in her eyes.

"And remember!" Ichigo called out, voice far lighter than the rest of theirs, "Aussie pubs are better than Irish pubs!"

Renji turned sharply and went to stalk back to his boyfriend to argue the point further, but Gin grabbed his collar and dragged the huge skier back a step. Rukia laughed, smiling for a moment, but her eyes looked as glassy as Rangiku's.

They waved, calling out their farewells, and a second later they disappeared behind the departures wall.

Toshiro stared at the place where his girlfriend had disappeared and sighed deeply.

"It will get easier," Ichigo patted his back, offering some kind words.

Toshiro nodded, though his throat was too tight to speak.

He supposed Ichigo and Renji had done this more times than Toshiro had, or Rangiku too. He and Renji survived it, and neither of them were the most romantic or openly emotional. If they could do it, surely anyone could.

They stayed at the airport, texting their partners and keeping an eye on the departure board, waiting until the lunchtime flight to Dublin, via Doha, changed from 'boarding' to 'gate closed', and finally to 'departed'.

The last text Rukia sent was a selfie of herself settling into her business class seat, grinning playfully and holding up her little toy koala, hanging from the keyring holding her home keys.

**Rukia, 12.24pm:**  
_I've decided to call him Droppy because he's a Drop Bear (heart eyes)_

_**Toshiro, 12.25pm:**_  
_Please convince Byakuya that Drop Bears are real (crying laughter) (love heart)_

She replied to him with a wink and a final farewell before she had to turn her phone to flight mode.

Toshiro sighed, feeling a little lighter now that he had seen her smile, and dropped his phone into his pocket.

"Let's go," he murmured to Rangiku, who was going to ride back home with him, and they followed Ichigo out to the carpark.

They left Ichigo at his car, promising to follow him back closely so they could wave to each other from their respective cars, and keep the strawberry entertained during the long drive.

Rangiku threw her arm over Toshiro as they walked up to the little Corolla.

"Gold medals, golden partners," she smiled. "How did we get so lucky, Bub?"

Toshiro shrugged – he doubted that there would ever be a known reason and maybe there wasn't one.

He was lucky – to have such a beautiful family, such amazing friends, and the most gorgeous girlfriend in the world. His athletic career had soared too, but now that didn't seem as important as it once had. Toshiro had grown up, and so had his priorities.

Toshiro had won gold in all aspects of his life.

…

** RukiaFansOfficial**  
_Rukia herself as sent us these beautiful photos from #RukiShiroAussieHoliday and #IreAussieCouplesRetreat! Stay tuned for my exclusive interview with our skating queen, and remember to catch them tonight on The Project, 6:30pm AEST on Channel 10! (I will upload a link for all our Irish and international viewers)._

** RukiShiroLover09**  
_OMG! NEW PHOTOS! They look so happy (love heart)_

** Quiksilver**  
_Get you a man that looks at you like __** Toshhiba**__ looks at __** RukiKuchi **__(heart eyes)_

** DCShoes**  
_Maybe __** Toshhiba**__ get our girl __** RukiKuchi**__ on a skateboard for the launch of our new #IreAussie skate shoes line, __** Quiksilver?**_

** SwagItMatsumoto**  
_So glad there are photos of Rangiku and Gin too! They're so cute! I'm glad my halfpipe queen has someone special (heart eyes)_

** ToshiFan128**  
_Oh my god Toshiro is so hot (fire) (fire), they're going to have some beautiful babies!_

** AussieSkiGirl**  
_** ToshiFan128**__ omg yes! I hope they get have some little snow babies soon (heart eyes) (heart eyes)_

…

**And that's a wrap!**

**Thanks again to everyone who supported us. Please leave a little review to let us know what you thought of this last chapter and of the fic as a whole! Make sure you read LethanWolf's Rukia POV too!**

**Love, Geishaaa xx**


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